From Conflict to Development Economics: Clair Kevin Nshimirimana’s journey to Yale

Clair Kevin and his family experienced one of the most challenging periods in Burundi’s modern history. A small and landlocked country in East Africa, the country fell into decades of violence and instability shortly after its independence from Belgium in 1962. He describes Burundi’s trajectory as similar to Rwanda’s, in terms of ethnic tensions and civil conflict, but without the post-conflict period of recovery and growth. Today, it is still one of the world’s poorest countries.

The conflict affected Clair Kevin’s family directly.

"Though I was young, I still remember," he said. "I remember one particular moment when violence erupted and my family fled in different directions. I fled with my sister, who carried me on her back as we escaped. It took days before we found each other again." The civil war had already taken so much from his family, including his grandparents, whom he never got the chance to know.

Amid these devastations, he fell in love with math. Early on, he was fascinated by the centuries-old story of the “rice and chessboard problem.” A king asks the inventor of chess how he’d like to be rewarded; the inventor asks for one grain of rice on the chessboard’s first square, to be doubled on each of the 63 subsequent squares. What initially appears like a small request soon becomes impossible to fulfill. Clair Kevin remembers being captivated by the challenge of reasoning through the problem in his head.

His love for numbers grew from a broader love of reading. At the schools he attended, many run by the Catholic church, he gained access to libraries that expanded his view of the world. He remembers reading an 1965 autobiography by Legson Kayira, who walked barefoot 2,500 miles from Malawi to Sudan before receiving a U.S. college scholarship. Another big influence was Strength in What Remains, Tracy Kidder’s nonfiction account of Burundian refugee Deo Niyizonkiza, who became a doctor in the United States before returning home to establish a health clinic in Burundi.

The stories reinforced Clair Kevin’s sense that education could create incredible opportunities – a belief that translated into strong academic performance. After graduating from high school, he was selected for Tujenge, an American-funded leadership program to help Burundi’s highest-performing students strengthen their English skills and prepare for university.

Ultimately, it was math that opened Clair Kevin’s next major door. After winning a math competition, he received a scholarship to Strathmore University in Nairobi. Looking for a course of study that could combine his interests in math, computing, and finance, he majored in financial engineering. He also represented the university at conferences and traveled to Germany for an academic program – his first time outside Africa.

While at Strathmore, Clair Kevin became interested in climate issues and economic development. He was struck by Africa’s relative lack of attention to climate change, despite its vulnerability to rising temperatures and changing weather patterns.

To deepen his focus on climate and energy, he interned at two global climate investment firms with offices in Nairobi. He became particularly interested in financial inclusion models like pay-as-you-go, which help households access products like solar panels through installment payments.

“Learning more about poverty, climate change, and how financial inclusion is changing people’s lives really strengthened my interest in development economics,” he said.

One scholar featured prominently in his readings on climate economics: William Nordhaus, the Yale economist who received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2018 for integrating climate change into macroeconomic analysis.

Those Nordhaus papers eventually led Clair Kevin to research Yale’s IDE program. Tracing its origins to 1952, the program trains students from around the globe in economics and development, with an alumni community that includes ministers and top officials from Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, and Japan. Today, many graduates go on to roles in government, academia, and development research. Recently, the program has expanded a scholarship for students from sub-Saharan Africa, and Clair Kevin is among its recipients.

Clair Kevin arrived in New Haven in the fall of 2025. Alongside coursework in development economics, he worked as a research assistant for Yale Inclusion Economics (YIE) on a project related to fintech and financial inclusion in Kenya. He also took courses at the Yale School of Management focused on finance and developing economies.

“Academically, the experience has been intense, but in the best way,” he said. Part of why he loves development economics is the ability to connect academic research with his own experiences. “In some classes, we are learning things I’ve lived through and can relate to, whether they’ve happened in Africa or other regions going through similar experiences.”

The IDE program’s globally diverse student body is one of its defining features, bringing together students from a wide range of countries for rigorous economics training in small, collaborative cohorts.

“Clair Kevin embodies the ethos of the IDE program as a community of learners,” said Ana Cecilia Fieler, a lecturer in Yale’s Department of Economics and the IDE program’s Faculty Co-Director. “In class, I saw tremendous growth in his understanding of economic models and ability to synthesize concepts. In office hours, I was often the pupil learning from him about the recent turbulent history of Burundi. It has been a pleasure to have Clair Kevin as a student and colleague.”

Outside the classroom, Clair Kevin has also enjoyed life in New Haven – including its famous pizza. He loves Yale’s openness and how integrated it is with the urban environment.

“Back home, a school is just a building,” he said. “Here, it’s a whole city. I can leave class and go for coffee or lunch, then head back to the library.”

His first winter in New Haven was another adjustment. Before arriving in the United States, he had only seen snow in movies. After receiving Yale emails warning students about massive snowstorms, he rushed out to buy a winter coat, gloves, and hat. But he wasn’t too concerned.

“One word about me is resilience,” he said, laughing. “So, I really didn’t mind the snow.”

After graduation, Clair Kevin hopes to work at an international organization like the World Bank or International Monetary Fund – institutions that align with his interest in combining rigorous research with real-world policy engagement.

While at Yale, he has left a strong impression on his classmates and colleagues.

“During his support as an RA, Clair Kevin contributed to foundational and exploratory aspects of YIE research projects in Kenya,” said Erik Jorgensen, YIE’s Lead for Digital and Financial Innovations. “He worked closely with members of our Yale- and Nairobi-based research teams, and it was great to see his enthusiasm for development economics. I look forward to seeing what he does next!”

Over the longer term, Clair Kevin hopes to return to Burundi and contribute to development efforts across the region, particularly in energy, agriculture, and climate. Burundi still faces severe electricity shortages, and much of the population depends on low-productivity agriculture. He believes smarter agricultural systems, better infrastructure, and stronger institutions could make a major difference.

Asked how he became interested in climate despite his sense of Africa’s lack of focus on the issue, he returns to the idea of personal responsibility and leadership.

“I’ve always believed that change begins within oneself,” he said. “If you want to make a change, you should take initiative and be an example for society. If you want to do something, you have to start somewhere.”

Reflecting on his journey from Burundi to New Haven, Clair Kevin repeatedly returns to all the doors that education opened. His year in the IDE program opened several doors – academically and professionally, but also personally.

“When I think about Yale, the word that comes to my mind is opportunity,” he said. “The opportunity to learn, the opportunity to network, and the opportunity to grow. I think those types of opportunities are what matter most.”