Francis Stephen Nyonzo
I am
Francis
Nyonzo
Economist · Researcher · Journalist · Digital Governance Specialist
A Tanzanian economist, author, researcher and journalist with 7+ years' experience delivering evidence-based research, policy communication and digital governance across East Africa and internationally.
New & Upcoming
📚 Forthcoming Book Chapter · 2027
Co-authoring a chapter in The Routledge Handbook of Political Corruption (2nd ed.)
Who I Am
Economist, Author & Researcher
I am a Tanzanian economist, researcher and digital governance specialist with expertise in public policy, taxation, financial inclusion, media freedom and development research. I have experience working in programme management, policy analysis, academic research and digital journalism across local and international platforms.
My research concentrates on digital economy, taxation, mobile money, mobile fraud, regional trade integration, behavioural economics and economics of crime — sustained focus on East Africa. My newsroom career began in 2016 as a News Reporter at The Guardian Limited, Tanzania's leading English-language newspaper.
As a Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Michigan State University (2024–25), I deepened expertise in data science, behavioural economics and international trade policy. I am now a Rotary Peace Fellow (2026–27), pursuing a PGD in Peace Building & Conflict Transformation at Makerere University, Uganda.
I am a Writing Fellow at African Liberty and an active peer reviewer for the African Tax Research Network (ATRN). I provide research, writing, training and consultancy services to organisations, researchers, media institutions and development partners.
☮ Rotary Peace Fellow 2026–27
Fulbright HHH Fellow
ATRN Peer Reviewer
African Liberty Fellow
African Studies Assoc.
ORCID Researcher
Economic Research & Policy
Peer-reviewed work on taxation, mobile money, denominational inflation, AfCFTA trade, digital finance and fraud prevention.
Peace Building & Conflict
Incoming Rotary Peace Fellow (2026–27) pursuing PGD in Peace Building & Conflict Transformation at Makerere University.
Journalism & Media Freedom
Investigative and advocacy journalist writing on digital rights, press freedom, governance and social justice across Africa.
Digital Democracy
Promoting civic participation, transparency and accountability through digital tools, training and community mobilisation.
What I Offer
Professional Services
Research & Policy
- Economic research and policy analysis
- Tax policy & informal sector research
- Mobile money and digital finance research
- East African regional integration & trade analysis
- Monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
- Literature reviews and policy briefs
- Research proposal and grant writing
- Academic editing and proofreading
- STATA data analysis and interpretation
Writing & Media
- Op-ed and analytical article writing
- Investigative journalism support
- Policy communication & knowledge translation
- Content strategy and editorial management
- Ghostwriting for research-based articles
- Report writing and publication support
- Data-driven advocacy content
Training & Capacity Building
- Research methods training
- Financial literacy training for entrepreneurs
- Digital democracy & civic education
- Proposal writing mentorship
- STATA / SPSS statistical software training
- Digital safety & tech-facilitated violence
Consultancy Areas
- Public policy & governance
- Tax systems and informal economy
- Digital governance
- Financial inclusion & mobile money
- Digital rights
- Social and economic development
- Cross-border trade analysis in East Africa
Specialised Niche Services
- Mobile money taxation analysis
- Informal sector formalisation strategies
- Digital economy policy research
- Mobile money fraud & behavioural security
- Academic peer review & journal support
- Denominational inflation research
Career
Work Experience
Jan 2025 – Feb 2026
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Programme Officer – Digital Democracy Recent
JamiiAfrica
Jan – May 2025
East Lansing, USA
Programme Coordination Intern
Spartan Innovations · Michigan State University
Feb 2023 – Present
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Research Associate Current
Liberty Sparks
2022 – Jul 2024
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Head of Content Management Department
JamiiAfrica
Feb – May 2022
Online
United Nations Volunteer (UNV)
African Association of Entrepreneurs
2019 – Mar 2022
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Programmes Officer
JamiiAfrica
Jul 2018 – 2019
Morogoro, Tanzania
Project Manager
Mwanga Mpya Organization (EPFO)
Sep – Dec 2018
Morogoro, Tanzania
ICS Volunteer
Raleigh Tanzania
Sep – Dec 2016
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
News Reporter
The Guardian Limited
Academic Background
Education & Training
Rotary Peace Fellowship — Incoming 2026–27
Postgraduate Diploma in Peace Building & Conflict Transformation
Makerere University · Kampala, Uganda
🕊 Rotary Peace Fellow
2024 – 2025
Fulbright Exchange — Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship
East Lansing, Michigan, USA · Economic Development (Professional, Non-Degree)
Fulbright Scholar
2013
Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education
Mbezi Beach High School
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2009
Certificate of Secondary Education
St. Francis De Sales
Tanzania
Short Courses & Professional Training
Dec 2024
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
American Management Association
Jun 2023
Manage Successful Field Research
World Bank Group – DIME
Jun 2022
Manage Successful Impact Evaluation Surveys
World Bank Group – DIME
May 2022
Investigative Journalism
African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME)
Mar 2022
Introduction to Online Journalism
Reuters
Sep – Nov 2021
Research and Proposal Writing in the Sciences
INASP
Jul – Sep 2021
Development Research in Practice
World Bank Group – DIME
Jun – Jul 2021
Research Writing in the Social Sciences
INASP
Milestones
Awards, Fellowships & Honours
☮️
Rotary Peace Fellow 2026–27
Awarded the Rotary Foundation Peace Fellowship — one of the world's most competitive peace scholarships — to pursue a PGD in Peace Building & Conflict Transformation at Makerere University, Uganda.
🇺🇸
Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow 2024–25
Selected for the prestigious Fulbright HHH Fellowship at Michigan State University — one of the most competitive U.S. exchange programmes for mid-career professionals from the developing world.
↗ MSU Profile
📚
Co-author, Routledge Handbook of Political Corruption (2nd ed.)
Contributing co-author of a chapter on political corruption in East Africa, alongside Anya Schiffrin — Columbia University SIPA scholar and wife of Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz — and Dylan W. Groves. Forthcoming with Routledge, 2027.
↗ Routledge
✍️
African Liberty Writing Fellow 2023–24
Writing Fellow at African Liberty — a Students For Liberty project — producing op-eds and policy commentary advancing individual freedom and democracy across Africa.
↗ African Liberty
📊
AEA / ASSA 2025 Invited Presenter
Invited to present two papers at the Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) Annual Meeting — on economics of discrimination & identity, and petty corruption in Tanzania's public sector.
↗ Paper 1
↗ Paper 2
🌐
Mandela Washington Fellowship — Reader
Recognised (Nov 2024) for serving as an application reader for the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, in partnership with IREX.
🤝
Community Solutions Programme — Selection Committee
Recognised (Jan 2025) for serving as a Selection Committee member for the 2025 Community Solutions Programme, supporting IREX in selecting global community leaders.
🏆
Black History Month Quiz Winner (2023)
Won the Black History Month Quiz at the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania, meeting H.E. Michael Battle, then U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, on March 15, 2023.
🥇
Best Employee of the Month
Recognised as Best Employee of the Month at JamiiAfrica (October 2023) for exceptional commitment and contributions.
↗ LinkedIn
📖
Co-authored Book — 2018
Mambo 100 ya Kuzingatiwa na Mwanafunzi wa Kiafrika Karne ya 21, co-authored with Justine Kakoko. DL Publishers, Arusha. ISBN 978-9976-5274-0-7.
Certificates & Letters
Research & Writing
Publications & Writings
🔬 Ongoing Research Project
Beyond System Security: Addressing the Behavioral and Identity Gap in Mobile Money Fraud Prevention in Tanzania
This project examines the growing challenge of mobile money fraud in Tanzania by focusing on behavioural and identity-related gaps that existing security systems fail to address. Using FinScope Tanzania 2023 data, the research investigates how socio-demographic factors, behavioural patterns, digital usage methods and reliance on third-party SIM cards influence vulnerability to mobile money fraud. Through descriptive analysis and logistic regression, the study aims to generate evidence for a user-centered fraud prevention framework.
2027 · Book Chapter · Forthcoming
Political Corruption in the East African Region: Bureaucratic Discretion, Shadow Politics, State Policy, and Vote-Buying Amidst Security Challenges
Anya Schiffrin, Dylan W. Groves, Marco Kitundu & Francis Nyonzo
Chapter in P. M. Heywood, I. Kubbe & A. K. Schwickerath (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Political Corruption (2nd ed.). Routledge. Co-authored with Anya Schiffrin — Columbia University SIPA scholar and wife of Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz — and Dylan W. Groves.
↗ Routledge
↗ Taylor & Francis
2025
Denominational Inflation: Limited Currency Divisibility in Cash Payment Systems – Tanzania as a Case Study
Nyonzo, F. S.
Advanced Research in Economics and Business Strategy Journal, 6(1), 200–214.
↗ DOI
↗ STATA Data (OSF)
2024
Assessing Tanzanians' Response to the Implementation of a Mobile Money Transaction Levy
Nyonzo, F.
African Multidisciplinary Tax Journal, 4(1), 167–186.
↗ DOI
2022
Tanzania's Solidarity Tax
Nyonzo, Francis.
Review of African Political Economy, 49(174), 643–651.
↗ DOI
↗ IDEAS/RePeC
2024 · Preprint
Internet Blockings and Government Revenue: Case Study Tanzania
Francis Nyonzo
↗ SSRN Preprint
Book · 2018
Mambo 100 ya Kuzingatiwa na Mwanafunzi wa Kiafrika Karne ya 21
Francis Nyonzo & Justine Kakoko
DL Publishers, Arusha, Tanzania. ISBN 978-9976-5274-0-7.
STATA Research Codes & Data
2025 · OSF
Exploring Effective Nudges for Tax Compliance in the Informal Sector in Tanzania
↗ osf.io/4wxj2Full citation list and impact metrics available on Google Scholar and ORCID.
2026
The Chanzo
Mobile Money Could Be Africa's Most Powerful Tax Collector — If Governments Let It
↗ The Chanzo2026
Liberty Sparks
Beyond Tax Enforcement: A Mobile Money Strategy for Formalising Tanzania's Informal Economy
↗ Liberty Sparks2026
The Chanzo
When Desperation Turns Deadly: Could Tanzania's Magical Violence Really Be About Economic Pain?
↗ The Chanzo2024
The Chanzo
Tanzania's Foreign Media Ownership Restrictions Impact Citizens' Freedom of Speech
↗ Read2024
Liberty Sparks
Kenya, Tanzania Cat and Mouse Games Hurting Cross-Border Trade and Prosperity
↗ Liberty Sparks2023
The Chanzo
Tanzania's Media Services Act: A Manifestation of the Man With the Hammer Syndrome?
↗ The Chanzo2023
Liberty Sparks
Will the EAC Competition Authority Enhance Competition and Protect Consumers?
↗ Read2023
Minority Africa
"It Is Like Slavery": Tanzanian Bar Waitresses Speak Up on Sexual Abuse
↗ Minority Africa2022
African Assoc. of Entrepreneurs
Legal and Financial Environment for Micro-Entrepreneurs in Tanzania
↗ Read2022
AuthorAid
Since 'Data is the New Oil', Researchers Must Become Skilled in Cyber Security
↗ AuthorAidSpeaking & Presentations
Conferences & Seminars
The Digital Microfinance Model: Modern Way of Alleviating Poverty
Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS) Annual Conference
Exploring Effective Nudges for Tax Compliance in the Informal Sector in Tanzania
Indiana University International Conference on Africa — 11th Annual Conference
Challenges of Investigative Journalism in Tanzania
African Studies Association — 67th Annual Meeting
Assessing Tanzanians' Practical Reaction to Mobile Money Transaction Levy Implementation
ATRN 8th Annual Congress on Contemporary Taxation Issues in Africa
Tanzania's Investigative Journalists: A Look at the Difficulties of Exposing the Truth
2023 Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC)
Special Mention — American Economic Association
Invited to Present at ASSA 2025 Annual Meeting
Invited to present two research papers at the 2025 Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) Annual Meeting — a flagship gathering of economists and social scientists.
Moments & Milestones
Photo Gallery
📸 Featured Photo
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows at Michigan State University, 2024–25. Francis Nyonzo with Dr. Anjam Chaudhary, Dr. Brian Boggs and Kyle Hess after completing the fellowship programme.
Affiliations
Networks & Memberships
📑
African Tax Research Network (ATRN)
Pretoria, South Africa · Since July 2023. Scientific member and peer reviewer supporting evidence-based tax policy across Africa.
🎓
African Studies Association
New Jersey, USA · Since November 2024. Registered as an International Emerging Scholar.
↗ africanstudies.org
✍️
African Liberty Writing Fellowship
2023–24. Writing Fellow producing policy commentary advancing individual freedom and democracy. A Students For Liberty project.
↗ africanliberty.org