Martine Kessy Ekomo-Soignet is our Local Correspondent for Central African Republic. An activist, strategist and social entrepreneur, she has over fifteen years of experience in the political and development sectors. She is the founder and director of Peace & Development Watch RCA, an independent think tank that produces strategic knowledge to support civic engagement, inclusive governance, and peacebuilding in the Central African Republic. A finalist of the Women In Africa initiative and the first Central African woman to receive the Choiseul Prize, she has built her work on a deep commitment to local leadership, evidence-based policy, and civic innovation. Martine Kessy holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Social and Political studies and a master’s degree in Geopolitics, International Security and International Relations.