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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

Ahmed Akhter

researcher spotlight

Akhter Ahmed

Akhter Ahmed is a Senior Research Fellow in the IFPRI’s Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit and Country Representative for IFPRI Bangladesh. He has worked on strategies for agricultural and rural development, social protection, and women’s empowerment to reduce poverty, food insecurity, and undernutrition in developing countries including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Malawi, the Philippines, and Turkey.

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Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion

Akhter Ahmed

Senior Research Fellow / Country Representative, IFPRI Bangladesh

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Ahmed Akhter

Bio

Akhter Ahmed is a Senior Research Fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Country Representative for IFPRI Bangladesh. He has worked on strategies for agricultural and rural development, social protection, and women’s empowerment to reduce poverty, food insecurity, and undernutrition of the poor in developing countries. He served as the leader of IFPRI’s collaborative project on food security research in Egypt. He also worked on poverty and human development issues in Bangladesh, China, India, Malawi, the Philippines, and Turkey. Since 2010, Ahmed has been posted in Bangladesh. Before joining IFPRI, Ahmed worked with the World Bank and served as an Agricultural Economist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He received a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Colorado State University and a master’s in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.

Publications

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Publications

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Journal Article

Evolution of intimate partner violence impacts from cash transfers, food transfers, and behaviour change communication: Mixed-method experimental evidence from a nine-year post-programme follow-up in Bangladesh

2025Lokot, Michelle; Sultana, Nasrin; Hidrobo, Melissa; Ahmed, Akhter; Hoddinott, John F.; Rakshit, Deboleena; Roy, Shalini; Ranganathan, Meghna
Details

Evolution of intimate partner violence impacts from cash transfers, food transfers, and behaviour change communication: Mixed-method experimental evidence from a nine-year post-programme follow-up in Bangladesh

Cash or food transfers can reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), but knowledge gaps remain on how impacts evolve over time, and the role of complementary ‘plus’ activities and contextual factors. We conducted a mixed-method analysis of how the Transfer Modality Research Initiative in Bangladesh affected IPV over time. The programme was implemented from 2012 to 2014, following a randomised controlled trial (RCT) design, across Northern and Southern Bangladesh. Intervention arms included monthly cash or food transfers, with or without complementary nutrition behaviour change communication (BCC). We estimate post-programme impacts on IPV using quantitative data collected in 2014–2015, 2018, and 2022, and combine this with qualitative data collected in 2023 to explore how and why IPV impacts evolved over time and the role of contextual factors. In the North, combining cash with BCC led to sustained IPV reductions in each post-programme round, while cash alone reduced IPV in 2022 but not the previous two rounds; food transfers showed no post-programme impacts. In the South, combining food with BCC led to post-programme IPV reductions in 2014–2015; no intervention sustained IPV reductions thereafter. Sustained IPV reductions are primarily driven by improved household economic security and emotional well-being. Other pathways – family relationships (including in-laws’ roles), women’s empowerment, and social and community support – contributed to changing couples’ relationships during the programme but became less salient after the programme ended. Contextual factors, including demographic changes, climate-related changes, external projects and norms condoning IPV appear to influence the sustainability of impacts. Results suggest that ‘plus’ programming was key to sustaining IPV impacts soon after the interventions, but less so by nine years post-programme, as economic security increasingly drove impacts. More mixed method research is needed from the outset to unpack if and how pathways to IPV reduction can be sustained in different contexts over time.

Year published

2025

Authors

Lokot, Michelle; Sultana, Nasrin; Hidrobo, Melissa; Ahmed, Akhter; Hoddinott, John F.; Rakshit, Deboleena; Roy, Shalini; Ranganathan, Meghna

Citation

Lokot, Michelle; Sultana, Nasrin; Hidrobo, Melissa; Ahmed, Akhter; Hoddinott, John; Rakshit, Deboleena; Roy, Shalini; and Ranganathan, Meghna. 2025. Evolution of intimate partner violence impacts from cash transfers, food transfers, and behaviour change communication: Mixed-method experimental evidence from a nine-year post-programme follow-up in Bangladesh. Social Science and Medicine 371(April 2025): 117901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117901

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Behaviour; Cash Transfers; Communication; Domestic Violence; Social Protection

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117901 Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Sustainable poverty reduction through social assistance: Modality, context, and complementary programming in Bangladesh

2025Ahmed, Akhter; Hidrobo, Melissa; Hoddinott, John F.; Kolt, Bastien; Roy, Shalini; Tauseef, Salauddin
Details

Sustainable poverty reduction through social assistance: Modality, context, and complementary programming in Bangladesh

Social assistance programs can increase consumption and reduce poverty, but less is known about whether these impacts are sustained after programs end, or how design and context influence sustainability. Using data collected in two regions of Bangladesh four years after a randomized intervention ended, we find that combining cash transfers with complementary programming led to sustained increases in consumption and reductions in poverty. Combining food transfers with complementary programming showed similar patterns, to a lesser extent. Cash alone had context-specific sustained effects; food alone had no sustained impacts. Results suggest that context, modality, and complementary programming matter for sustained impacts.

Year published

2025

Authors

Ahmed, Akhter; Hidrobo, Melissa; Hoddinott, John F.; Kolt, Bastien; Roy, Shalini; Tauseef, Salauddin

Citation

Ahmed, Akhter; Hidrobo, Melissa; Hoddinott, John; Kolt, Bastien; Roy, Shalini; and Tauseef, Salauddin. 2025. Sustainable poverty reduction through social assistance: Modality, context, and complementary programming in Bangladesh. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 17(2): 102-126. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20230108

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Southern Asia; Aid Programmes; Poverty; Sustainability; Cash Transfers; Food; Social Protection

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20230108 Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Trends and inequities in adequacy of micronutrient intakes in rural Bangladesh

2025Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Ali, Masum; Ghostlaw, Julie; Tran, Lan Mai; Parvin, Aklima; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Ahmed, Akhter
Details

Trends and inequities in adequacy of micronutrient intakes in rural Bangladesh

Background Micronutrient deficiencies pose a significant public health challenge, yet limited evidence exists on micronutrient intakes over time in Bangladesh. Objective We assessed trends and adequacies in micronutrient intakes and examined the changes in inequities by age group, sex, and expenditure quintile. Methods We used panel data from the 2011 and 2018 Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (n =21,475 and 21,589 household members aged ≥2y, respectively). Food consumption data were collected using a household dietary recall. Changes in micronutrient intakes were assessed using non-parametric Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon rank sum test. Inequities in outcomes were examined using the Slope Index of Inequality and Concentration Index. Results Micronutrient intakes remained suboptimal across 2011 and 2018, with low adequacy (<0.50) for all nutrients except niacin. While vitamin A intake increased across various demographics, trends for other micronutrient intakes differed by age. Intakes improved for 10 micronutrients among children aged 2-<5y, but increased for only half of examined micronutrients among children aged 5-9y. For adolescents and adults, most micronutrient intakes slightly declined, with greater inadequacies observed among females versus males. Pregnant women experienced sharper declines in adequacy of micronutrient intakes than lactating women. The mean probability of adequacy (MPA) was low (around one-third) for all age groups with lower MPA among poorer compared to richer households across age, sex and survey years. Inequity gaps in MPA mostly declined, except for females ≥50y and pregnant women. Conclusions Micronutrient intakes and adequacies remain suboptimal and have decreased marginally over time for many nutrients and MPA across most age groups. Inequities in micronutrient intakes persist by age, sex, and income levels, disproportionately affecting the poor, adults, and women. Our study calls for evidence-based policies and programs that incorporate a range of proven approaches and tailored solutions to effectively tackle persisting inequities and ensure access to healthy diets for all.

Year published

2025

Authors

Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Ali, Masum; Ghostlaw, Julie; Tran, Lan Mai; Parvin, Aklima; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Ahmed, Akhter

Citation

Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Ali, Masum; Ghostlaw, Julie; Tran, Lan Mai; Parvin, Aklima; Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; and Ahmed, Akhter U. Trends and inequities in adequacy of micronutrient intakes in rural Bangladesh. Journal of Nutrition 155(2): 492-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.11.018

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Dietary Diversity; Micronutrient Deficiencies; Rural Areas; Trace Elements

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.11.018 Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Into, Through and Beyond USAID Programs: Lessons from the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index
IFPRI at External Event

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March 29, 2023, 9:00 – 10:15 am

Into, Through and Beyond USAID Programs: Lessons from the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index

Virtual Event: March 29, 2023 – 9:00 AM- 10:15 AM EDT. This webinar will mark the launch of two briefs, one on the use cases of WEAI in USAID projects worldwide and the other on how WEAI has informed and supported the design of policies and programs in Bangladesh.

Measuring What Matters: 10 Years of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index, why has it mattered, and what’s next?
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

March 24, 2022, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Measuring What Matters: 10 Years of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index, why has it mattered, and what’s next?

Virtual Event: March 24, 2022 – 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM EDT. This side event will provide an opportunity to discuss country experiences in using the WEAI and reflect on its impact on measuring and tracking gender equity and equality.

Virtual Event - Social Safety Nets and COVID-19: Can we protect food security and nutrition?
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

June 11, 2020, 9:30 – 10:45 am

Virtual Event – Social Safety Nets and COVID-19: Can we protect food security and nutrition?

How have social safety net programs responded to COVID-19? Are food security & nutrition issues effectively addressed with these responses? What and where are opportunities and future challenges? Watch Video

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News

May 12, 2025 | In the News

Fix social protection flaws instead of expanding outlay (The Daily Star)

Bangladesh must urgently redirect resources within its fragmented social protection system and scale up a handful of proven programs that directly benefit the poorest, says IFPRI’s Akhter Ahmed.

February 11, 2024 | In the News

Agricultural growth key to accelerated poverty reduction in Bangladesh (Financial Express)

Senior research fellow and country representative, Akhter Ahmed writes in an op-ed for the Financial Express (Bangladesh) that the country “has witnessed substantial economic growth over the past decade, with an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.6 per cent between 2016 and 2022. Notably, the country experienced a 3.4 per cent increase in GDP in 2020, making Bangladesh one […]

November 25, 2022 | In the News

‘Immediate interventions needed to lower food prices’ (Dhaka Tribune)  

The Dhaka Tribune published a review and comments from a roundtable on “Food Security for Sustainable Development” held in Bangladesh. Participants agreed that the double shocks of the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have drastically increased food prices, and immediate policy interventions are needed to keep food items affordable for people of lower income […]

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