Rorisang Lekalake

Biography

Rorisang Lekalake (Rori) is Director of Analysis at Afrobarometer, leading the organisation’s analytical work on citizen attitudes and behaviour across the continent.

Her work combines rigorous statistical analysis with policy-relevant insights on varied topics related to the political economy of development and democracy governance, including democratic attitudes, institutional trust, climate change perceptions, and youth political engagement.

In her various roles at Afrobarometer, Rori has overseen survey implementation in partner countries, helped to build research capacity among network staff and partners, and contributed to expanding the organisation’s body of publications on democracy and development across the continent.

She has also strengthened survey methodologies through various initiatives, including experimental pilots, reviews of current protocols, and launching the Afrobarometer Methods Note publication series.

Rori holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was affiliated with the MIT Political Experiments Research Lab (PERL) and the MIT Global Diversity Lab (GDL). She also earned an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Cape Town and a B.A. in International Relations and French from the University of Pennsylvania.