NOVAFRICA Team

Catia Batista is a Full Professor of Economics at the Nova School of Business and Economics, where she is also Founder and Scientific Director of the NOVAFRICA research center. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Department of Economics of the University of Chicago. Catia has research interests related to international migration and remittance flows, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, technology adoption, education and policy evaluation. Her work, mainly randomized and lab-in-the-field experiments, took place in countries such as Cape Verde, the Gambia, Ireland, Kenya, Portugal, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe. Catia has taught at the University of Chicago, University of Oxford, Trinity College Dublin, and Notre Dame University. She is currently a Research Fellow at the international research centers CReAM (London, UK), IZA (Bonn, Germany) and JPAL-Europe (Paris, France). Previously, Catia worked at the International Monetary Fund and at the Portuguese Catholic University, and consulted for the World Bank and the International Growth Center.

Pedro C. Vicente is a Full Professor of Economics at Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE), where he is also a founding scientific director of the knowledge center NOVAFRICA. He specializes in development economics and Africa, with a focus on political economy issues. Previously to Nova SBE, Pedro Vicente was a professor and researcher at the University of Oxford and Trinity College Dublin. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame and a consultant to the World Bank. Pedro Vicente has published in leading economics journals such as the American Economic Review, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Economic Journal, and the Journal of Development Economics. His research has entailed substantial fieldwork efforts in African countries including Mozambique, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as funding by national and international agencies such as DFID, USAID, 3IE, IZA, and FCT. Pedro Vicente has a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.

Vera Pinto is an enthusiastic communications professional with several years of experience as a journalist and communications manager with a focus in economics and politics. Her educational background includes a master’s degree in International Economics (ISCTE Business School), a post-graduation in Journalism by the Complutense University of Madrid and a degree in Communication Science.
As journalist she worked at Lusa, at R. Com (Canal 1, RFM e MEGA FM) and at TVI. Throughout her career Vera made reports, interviews, journal editions and covered the official visits of high-level state officers (President and Prime-Minister) to foreign countries. Some of the most remarkable experiences included visits to developing countries in Africa, such as Angola and Mozambique. After journalism Vera focused her activity in corporate communication. She worked as communication manager in LPM Communication, the leading Portuguese company in communication consulting. Recently she developed her skills in communication management at AGEAS Group.

Raquel Fernandes has worked in Luanda as Human Resources Director, coordinating the HR department in companies with interests in various business areas. In Mozambique, Raquel has collaborated with the NGO Equipa d’África in the field of health and education.
She has an undergraduate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, after which she conducted psychological follow-up of adolescents and young adults at the Núcleo de Estudos do Suicídio in the Santa Maria Hospital, in Lisbon.
Raquel also holds an executive master in Management for Human Resources Professionals from Nova School of Business and Economics – Executive Education.

Magda Ferrão worked for several years as a Management Controller focusing on Financial Reporting in the private health sector. She had the opportunity to be part of the creation and development of a clinical units of one of the largest private health groups in the country.
She graduated in Health Management from the Atlantic University and undertook a professional internship in one of the largest private health hospitals. The aim of the study was a microeconomic analysis of the emergency department.
She was part of social support projects as a volunteer.