Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is a professor of African and Global Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 2007. He has taught at Howard University (1978-97); the Universities of Kisangani and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), March 1971 to December 1973; Atlanta University (1975-77); the University of Maiduguri in Nigeria (1977-78); and held visiting professorships at Davidson College (1990, 1999) and El Colegio de Mexico in Mexico City (Summer 1987). Fellow of the African Academy of Science since 1989, president of the African Studies Association of the United States (1987-88), and president of the African Association of Political Science (1995-97), Professor Nzongola is the author of numerous publications on Congolese and African politics. His book, The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People’s History (London and New York: Zed Books, 2002), won the 2004 Best book Award from the African Politics Conference Group (APCG), an organization of American political scientists specializing on Africa. A delegate to the Sovereign National Conference (CNS) of 1991-92 in Kinshasa, Professor Nzongola acquired some practical experience in public service, as chair of two CNS subcommittees; diplomatic adviser to Etienne Tshisekedi, the Prime Minister elected by the CNS (1992-93); and as deputy president of the National Electoral Commission (1996). His active engagement in international service included full-time employment in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria as senior adviser on governance to the Federal Government (2000-2002); in Norway, as director of the Oslo Governance Centre (2002-2005); and in New York with the task of setting up an independent and pan-African think tank on governance in Dakar, Senegal (2005-2007). Between June 2009 and March 2010, he served as the interim executive director of this think tank, the Africa Governance Institute (AGI).
