James Mackie (UK/BE) is a semi-retired development professional with some 40 years of professional experience in the sector. He is an independent consultant on EU international cooperation focussing on policy studies and evaluations. In addition to the College of Europe, he is a visiting senior lecturer on the international relations and diplomacy masters course at Nyansapo College, Accra, of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He holds a PhD in Geography from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Up to 2020, Dr Mackie worked for 18 years at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) in Maastricht, first as head of programme, then as head of Learning and Quality Support, and he served as the Centre’s Acting Director in 2018. While at ECDPM he undertook many studies on European development policy and was team leader for European Commission evaluations on topics such as the Africa Peace Facility, EU development funding for Research and Innovation and on the Visibility of EU external action. He was also team leader for the European Report on Development (ERD 2013) on ‘Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future’ written for the European Commission in the run-up to the UN agreement on the 2030 Agenda.

Before joining ECDPM, James Mackie, worked for 20 years in the development NGO sector, including as the CEO of the European NGO umbrella group CONCORD Europe. He also worked for the British NGO VSO in Asia and Africa and in their London headquarters and served on the board of trustees for Oxfam GB. 

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