Mr. Shirzai holds two master’s degrees in rural development and applied community change and conservation. He is a Ph.D. candidate on sustainable challenges, researching the diffusion of innovation (solar energy) in Afghanistan. Mr. Shirzai has over 25 years of work experience in Government ministries, academia and aid organizations in Afghanistan and abroad. He was a strategic planning advisor in the Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, and the executive director of the Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development. He was the country director of various INGOs and worked in Afghanistan, Nepal, and Pakistan, and was involved in short-term jobs in other countries.
