John Birchall

John Birchall – Economist

John was born in Liverpool, though his parents (John Alfred James) and Hilda moved to Ham, Surrey when he was three years of age. His father was a ladies hairdresser and semi-professional entertainer and his mother was a housewife.

His education was concluded at The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he was awarded an MA in Development Studies.

For the majority of his post university life John has taught and lectured in economics, with a special interest in West African economies.

Politics

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s John considered two opportunities to run for Parliament as a Labour Party candidate. He declined both but was a member of The Fabian Society Economics and Foreign Affairs Committees.
He resigned from the Labour Party in the early 1990’s and no longer has a direct interest in any political organisation.

The European Union

In 1997 he was invited to take part in a cross-curriculum project sponsored by The European Parliament. On the completion of this project he was invited to join the European Union Panel of Economics Teachers, a position he held till 2006. During his time working with fellow professionals from all member states of The European Union he lectured and taught in Belgium, The Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden.

Africa

His relationship with Africa began as a Voluntary Service Overseas member in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He worked in the Ports, with the UNDP and was a guest lecturer at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He has continued to work closely with various organisations associated with Sierra Leone and continues to pay regular visits to the country. He worked on various projects during the civil war and wrote a series of articles on his experiences for the magazine West Africa – no longer published.

In recent years he has visited and worked in a number of African countries

The British Council

The Council invited him to make several visits to Sierra Leone and during these he:

· Lectured at the University and remains a Guest Lecturer of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone
· Lectured at all the teacher training colleges, including Freetown Secondary Teachers College, Milton Margai College and Njala University.
· Delivered The British Council’s 60th Anniversary Lecture
· Addressed the national Parliament, the only non-politician to have done so

His family trust, African Leprosy Aid, founded by his late father in law Alfred Foster has sponsored a range of projects in Sierra Leone and in a number of other African countries. It has built a large health centre in Pejewa, Sierra Leone

He also assisted in the delivery of The Inter Action Programme of The British Council, which was designed to help young leaders from across the continent to gain valuable experience of how to make and assess the impact of decisions. As part of this scheme he visited Ghana to address the Pan Africa Network of Young Leaders. He wrote and edited the InterAction Website

From 2008-2010 he worked in Zambia and Zimbabwe, assisting post-graduate students and young professionals. He lectured at the Universities of Bulawayo, Harare, Solusi and Zimbabwe.

In April 2011 he will chair and speak at a conference designed to assist young Zambians analyse the ways ahead for their economy. Amongst those he has invited to join him are:

Conference – Lusaka, Zambia – 19th and 20th April 2011

Day 1
Jon Snow – Introduction from ITN, London
Agriculture, food security and climate change – Prof. Calestous Juma – Harvard
The choices facing a resource rich economy – Anwar B. Ravat, Programme Manager Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative – EITI Sustainable Energy Department, Oil, Gas, and Mining Unit. The World Bank
Addressing the main issues that cause poverty – Andy Sumner, IDS, Sussex
Bjorn Lomberg, University of Denmark – an open discussion
How to create diversification within the Zambian economy – speakers from University of Zambia, EU and IMF (local offices), COMESA, NEPAD and Capacity Building Foundation (Africa)
Sustainability – Tony Greenham – New Economics Foundation
Others
Day 2
The role of government in development – the macroeconomic challenge – Colin Ellis – recently of Bank of England and adviser to Government of Papua New Guinea
Emerging Markets and Africa – Karen Ward – Senior Economist – HSBC
The role of women in development – Nam Kiwanuka (Uganda)
Ethnicity, nationalism and development – Scott Atran, Research Director in Anthropology at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, France
Others
Other posts

He is a Guest Lecturer at The School of Oriental and African Studies and is currently an Affiliate of The Centre for African Studies, University of Cambridge. He has been asked to assist postgraduate students at Anglia Ruskin University and Coventry University.

He also advises various organisations on the economies of Africa and is regularly asked to provide Expert Evidence Statements for those either seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom or appealing against their request being turned down.

Personal Life

He is married to Patricia; they met as VSO’s in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She is a professional violinist and viola player, a Professor of Violin at The Guildhall School, Barbican, London and is a qualified yoga teacher, specialising in working with young musicians.
They have three children:
· Jeremy – a composer
· Timothy – a violinist
· Anya – a violinist and chamber musician