Dr Mathew Warnest

mathew.warnest [at] smithschool.ox.ac.uk

Dr Mathew Warnest has over 7 years’ experience in the public and private sectors in land administration and spatial information management.  In December 2009, he was appointed in Kigali, Rwanda by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group as Land Administration and Institutional Expert as part of a small multi-disciplinary team to undertake a ‘Business Access to Land’ for investors’ assessment for the Government of Rwanda.  Having started his career in Australia, Mathew has devoted most of his career life to the developing world, especially South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.  Residing in Freetown throughout 2009, he led the assistance program for upgrading the land registration system of Sierra Leone sponsored by the Investment Climate Facility for Africa.  Based within the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and Environment, and as member of the IFC Doing Business Committee for Sierra Leone, he oversaw the introduction of a modern electronic land registration and mapping system and the computerization of historic land records.  His recent experiences include contributions to the Philippines’ land sector development framework to 2030. He has previously contributed to setting pathways for national land information system development in Indonesia and Cambodia.  Mathew holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Engineering) from The University of Melbourne, Australia.