Rita holds dual honours degrees (BSc & BA) in Computer Science and Economics from Smith College, Massachusetts, USA, alongside MA and PhD degrees in Economics from Clark University, Massachusetts, USA. Previously, she served as Director of Macro Research for sub-Saharan Africa at Barclays Investment Bank, London, UK, from October 2017 to December 2019. Before that, she held the role of Vice President and Senior Analyst at Moody’s Investors Service (September 2014 – September 2017), overseeing credit ratings for sovereigns and multilateral development banks across Africa and Europe. Rita’s career began at the International Monetary Fund, where she spent over a decade as an Economist & Senior Economist across various departments. During her tenure, she undertook a secondment at the Bank of England, focusing on global financial stability issues during a pivotal period of reshaping prudential and regulatory frameworks. With extensive experience as a global macroeconomist and sovereign credit expert, Rita has deep expertise within the financial services industry, across international and domestic policymaking institutions, global credit ratings and financial markets.