Pauline Essah is the Director of Research and Insight at Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA), where she implements the organisation’s vision of improving tertiary education in sub-Saharan Africa through better use of data and evidence. Prior to joining ESSA, Pauline worked at the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) as a Senior Manager for Global Health. Pauline also spent nine years at the University of Cambridge, UK, where she was instrumental in establishing and managing the flagship, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary Cambridge-Africa Programme.