Sef Ashiagbor is NDI’s senior advisor for political party programs. She provides thought leadership and analytical expertise to shape the design and implementation of the Institute’s political party programs worldwide. She has conducted research, developed knowledge management products, authored publications and served as a conference panelist on a wide range of topics including: promoting issue-based political parties; political party coalition-building; parliamentary group organizing; political finance; democratic resilience; and political party programming. She has led political and program assessment missions to a wide range of contexts, and served in NDI offices in Ghana and Malawi. Her extensive professional travels have taken her to countries as diverse as Albania, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nepal, Uganda and Ukraine. Previous to joining NDI, Sef worked in international humanitarian assistance, developing funding proposals, and overseeing the procurement and shipment of relief materials to a variety of countries in crisis. She also worked in the West Africa department of the World Bank. Sef earned her Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor's degree in History from Selwyn College, Cambridge. She is almost fluent in French and speaks Spanish.