A former Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Elsie Addo Awadzi, has been named the first-ever Women in Public Leadership Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.

The newly established fellowship aims to tackle the persistent underrepresentation of women in top public leadership roles, especially in areas such as economic policy, regulatory reform, and crisis management.

Mrs Addo Awadzi brings to the role three decades of experience in economic policy, financial regulation, and governance, both in Ghana and internationally.

During her fellowship year, she will undertake several projects that build on her leadership and policy experience. These include developing a teaching case on issues in the international financial system, delivering guest lectures, and leading a masterclass on public leadership for Master of Public Policy students.

She will also mentor postgraduate students, particularly women, on navigating leadership careers while maintaining personal balance, and design a pilot programme to support senior women in Africa’s public sector.

“Elsie is a trail-blazing public leader from Ghana with deep expertise in economic governance and financial sector development, who has led major public initiatives, including cleaning up Ghana’s financial sector following a crisis that highlighted the need for stronger oversight and governance. We are delighted to welcome Elsie to the School,” says Dean of the Blavatnik School, Professor Ngaire Woods.
Mrs. Addo Awadzi described the fellowship as a “unique opportunity” to advance thought leadership in governance and public policy.

“I look forward to a year of rigorous intellectual engagement, meaningful collaboration, and shared learning,” she said. “The Blavatnik School represents an extraordinary environment of academic and professional excellence under the dynamic leadership of Professor Ngaire Woods. I am deeply grateful for the privilege to contribute in some measure to its mission: a world better led, better served, and better governed.”

At the Bank of Ghana, Mrs Awadzi was responsible for overseeing financial institutions' regulation, supervision, and stability, and served on the Board and the Monetary Policy Committee. She also represented the Bank on several national and international bodies.

Before joining the central bank, she was Senior Counsel at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where she advised countries on banking reforms, crisis management, and fiscal governance, and trained officials globally.

Mrs Addo Awadzi is also an alumna of the Blavatnik School’s Executive Public Leaders Programme, which supports senior public officials to strengthen leadership and policy impact.