Afaq Hussain

Afaq Hussain is a nonresident senior fellow at the N7 Initiative within the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. In this role, much of his work focuses on the economic aspects of India-Middle East-Europe Corridor. A policy researcher with over twenty years of experience, Hussain’s expertise spans logistics infrastructure, trade facilitation, regional connectivity, and related regulatory policy.

He is the co-founder and director of the Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals (BRIEF) in New Delhi. Under his leadership, BRIEF has collaborated with the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways, Indian Ports Association, Land Ports Authority of India, Ministry of Commerce, NITI Aayog, and the National Committee for Trade Facilitation. In this role, Hussain’s work focuses on identifying infrastructural and regulatory gaps, streamlining regulatory processes, and advocating for policy reforms. Hussain has also been working on expanding BRIEF’s research areas into the Middle East through collaborations with the Emirates Policy Center and the University of Dubai.

He was a member of a working group on infrastructure and connectivity at NITI Aayog,  an agency of the Indian government, for the India at 75 initiative. He is also a US State Department International Visitors Leadership Program fellow on smart ports. He is a regular commentator on trade and connectivity infrastructure issues in national and international newspapers and journals.