Dr Dawit Toga is a Visiting practitioner as part of the Practice of Leadership programme with the African Leadership Centre. He was appointed as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the ALC in 2019. 

Prior to joining the African Union as Senior Political Analyst in 2005, Dawit worked at the Comparative Defense Studies Program at Columbia University. In his role as Senior Political analyst, he worked as a principal analyst in the continent’s major conflicts, including Sudan/South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Libya.

Dawit participated in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, and the Abuja Peace talks that led to the signing of the Darfur Political Agreement in 2006. As part of a Reference Group consisting of representatives from the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the United Nations, Dawit participated in the Zimbabwe Political Talks in Pretoria in 2008, where the Zimbabwean parties signed the Global Political Agreement.

He has substantive understanding of international relations, the third world in general and African issues related to crisis management and mediation in particular. He has a PhD in International Relations from Columbia University and MA in International Relations from the New School University. He has published several works.