Ala’a Kolkaila is a 2024 Millennium fellow and focuses on blending economic development with technological innovation. Her work includes advising Egypt’s minister of international cooperation and the former minister of tourism on sustainability and digital transformation; she has also pioneered the blue economy research program at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Her notable achievements include spearheading policies and digital initiatives at Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Planning that led to the financial inclusion of eight million farmers through the automation of Egypt’s agricultural systems.

Kolkaila holds an MA in economics from Universität Phillips Marburg and a mid-career MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is currently a fellow with the Belfer Center’s Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program focusing on emerging-technology policies, particularly crypto and blockchain, as well as a Sloan fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on tech policy and launching her own venture. This initiative aims to revolutionize the integration of real-time citizen data into policymaking and market research, with the hopes of setting new benchmarks for participatory governance.