Amir Shafaie
Legal and Economic Programs Director
Based in London, Amir leads the legal & economic programs team at NRGI responsible for the organization’s portfolio of research, policy analysis, technical assistance, capacity development and advocacy related to legal and economic issues. Amir has contributed significantly to NRGI’s country programs, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mongolia, Senegal and Tunisia.
Amir has facilitated courses on the oil, gas and mining sector with partner institutions including the Catholic University of Central Africa (Cameroon), Columbia University, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the International Monetary Fund and the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.
Amir writes about a wide range of natural resource-related subjects including governance challenges associated with European demand for African gas and critical minerals. He is active in international efforts to improve natural resource-based development, including contributing to the OECD’s Principles for Durable Extractive Contracts and the African Development Bank’s work on resource-backed loans. Amir has previously worked in NRGI’s Beirut and New York offices.
Prior to joining NRGI, Amir was a managing associate in the energy, infrastructure and project finance team in the London and Dubai offices of a leading international law firm. Amir’s pro bono experience includes assisting the International Senior Lawyers Project.
Amir has degrees in history and law, both from the University of California, Berkeley. He also studied international relations at Sciences Po in Paris. He is fluent in English, French and Farsi.
