Professor Hiroyuki Hino: The Economist Helping Ruto Draft Vision 2060 and His Connection to Raila

On July 30, President William Ruto announced the start of consultations on Kenya’s long-term development agenda beyond Vision 2030.

In his address, Ruto said he had invited Professor Hiroyuki Hino, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o and other experts to examine the country’s future beyond the current blueprint.

“It was in that spirit that I invited Professor Hiroyuki Hino, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o and their distinguished colleagues to begin examining Kenya’s future beyond Vision 2030,” he said.

But who is Professor Hiroyuki Hino?

Professor Hiroyuki Hino is a Japanese economist who previously served as Director of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific between July 2002 and August 2005.

Before taking up the role, he was a Senior Advisor in the IMF’s African Department, where he focused on development issues across the continent.

Having joined the IMF in 1975, Hino spent much of his career working on policy matters in the institution’s Exchange and Trade Relations Department, now known as the Policy Development and Review Department. Outside the IMF, he served as Professor of Economics at Kobe University in Japan between 1996 and 1997.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Sophia University in Japan and a PhD in Economics from the University of Rochester in the United States.

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His Affiliations With Raila Odinga and Ruto

Hino also served as economic adviser to the late Raila Odinga during the Grand Coalition Government, when Odinga held the office of Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013.

Before his death, the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga met with economist Professor Hiroyuki Hino, Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.

“I had the honour of hosting Prof Hiroyuki Hino, my former Economic Affairs Advisor, for a thoughtful and engaging visit. He was accompanied by two long-serving public servants: Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Governor of Kisumu County, and Felix Koskei, Head of Public Service,” Raila said after the meeting.

Professor Hino also served as President William Ruto’s Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives and the Economy for two years during Ruto’s tenure as Deputy President, underscoring his long-standing advisory role across successive Kenyan administrations.

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Passion for Books

In 2019, Hino edited the book From Divided Pasts to Cohesive Futures: Reflections on Africa, which explores the relationship between ethnic diversity, social cohesion and economic development across the African continent.

Drawing on perspectives from economics, political science, anthropology and history, the publication examines the challenges and opportunities of building social cohesion in Africa’s multiethnic societies while assessing the continent’s future development prospects.

The book features 13 chapters written collaboratively by more than 20 historians, economists and political scientists based at research institutions across Africa, Japan, Europe and North America.

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