Jessica leads the firm’s West Africa research. She advises clients on political, economic, and security dynamics across the region, helping them navigate complex and fast-changing environments through timely forecasts, scenario planning, and stakeholder analysis.

Jessica brings over a decade of experience working in and on West Africa, with deep expertise in Francophone countries. She has lived and worked in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, and Mali, and maintains an extensive network of local contacts across governments, civil society, and the private sector. Her research focuses on energy sector politics, resource nationalism, regional geopolitics, and the growing influence of external actors such as Russia, China, France, and the US.

Before joining Horizon Engage, Jessica served as Editor for Sub-Saharan Africa at Torchlight Intelligence and Lead Analyst for Sub-Saharan Africa at Protection Group International. She specialized in the political drivers of risk and the strategic implications of coups, civil movements, and evolving power structures for investors and operators.

Jessica holds a BA in History from the University of Nottingham, an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London. Her first book, Life After War: Lessons in Human-Centered Peacebuilding from Côte d’Ivoire (Bloomsbury), is forthcoming.