Birger Fredriksen

Birger Fredriksen is a leading expert on the development of education in developing countries. Before retiring, he worked for 20 years in the World Bank including as Director for Human Development for Africa, and 12 years in the OECD and UNESCO. At the World Bank he held a number of senior positions including as Director for Human Development for Africa, as Senior Education Adviser for Education in Africa, and as Macro Economic Division Chief for Western Africa. Prior to that, he established and headed for three years the Division of International Economics at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs, Oslo, Norway, worked for ten years in various positions at UNESCO, Paris, for two years at the Center for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) at the OECD, Paris, and for two years at the University of Oslo. Dr. Fredriksen, a Norwegian, holds a masters degree in economics from the University of Oslo, and a PhD in educational planning in developing countries from the University of Lancaster, UK.