Who We Are
Governance Axis is a Pakistan-based advisory firm led by senior practitioners. We translate policy into operational systems, strengthen institutions, and build resilient services across governance, economic growth, climate, and social sectors.
What We Do
- Governance and institutional reform
- Economic growth and private sector development
- Social sectors and human capital
- Climate resilience and environmental improvement
- Research, monitoring and evaluation
- Strategic communications and citizen engagement
How We Work
Co-design with implementers. Evidence before opinion. Adaptation as context shifts. Capacity built through doing, not workshops.
Why Choose Us?
Deep local insight. Donor fluency. End-to-end capability from policy to delivery. Climate and inclusion embedded by design.
Capability Where It Matters
We work across sectors
Our team brings diversified experience across multiple development sectors, working with leading donors and top-tier implementers. With experts who have designed, implemented, managed, and advised on programmes worth over $500 million, you’re working with former USAID Chiefs of Party and programme directors—not account managers or junior consultants learning on your budget.
Click each sector below to learn more about our expertise.
Governance & Public Sector Reform
Institutional performance, decentralization, fiscal planning, procurement modernization, regulatory improvement. We align policy design with operating rules, incentives, and service standards so reforms stick.
Our team led governance programmes exceeding $150 million in Pakistan’s most fragile regions—working where state authority had collapsed. We strengthened provincial institutions, secured women’s land rights through legal reforms, and built accountability mechanisms still functioning today.
Health Systems Strengthening
Health governance, surveillance systems, service delivery, supply chain management, and health financing. We strengthen health systems that must function under pressure—during epidemics, climate shocks, and governance transitions.
Our specialists shaped national health strategies for USAID, FCDO, and multilateral partners. We advanced Pakistan’s Global Health Security Agenda, developed surveillance systems using One Health approaches, and strengthened service delivery across polio eradication and immunization programmes.
Education
Systems strengthening, teacher education, infrastructure resilience, higher education governance, and learning innovation. We focus on service quality, access, and equity—linking institutions, frontline capacity, and measurable outcomes.
Our team managed education programmes worth over $300 million. We improved teaching quality for 27,000+ teachers reaching 1.7 million students, rebuilt schools in conflict zones, and pioneered early-grade reading assessments in Pakistan.
Economic Growth & Private Sector Development
SME competitiveness, value chains, investment facilitation, public-private partnerships, workforce development, and livelihoods. We connect market constraints to targeted reforms and practical delivery models.
We revitalized hundreds of conflict-affected enterprises through $74 million in USAID economic recovery programmes while militancy was still active. We structured multimillion-dollar PPPs, created livelihoods for displaced populations, and connected 73,000+ youth to employment.
Institutional Strengthening & Procurement Systems
Procurement systems, financial management, contract compliance, risk management, and organizational capacity building. Strong systems keep institutions credible, operational, and audit-ready.
Our team managed procurement and financial operations for programmes worth hundreds of millions of dollars. We’ve overseen procurement portfolios exceeding a billion dollars, developed risk management frameworks accepted by USAID Office of Inspector General, and received multiple USAID Honor and Eagle Awards.
Research, Monitoring & Evaluation
Diagnostics, baselines, feasibility studies, performance tracking, independent evaluations, and adaptive learning frameworks. Clear indicators, lean methods, actionable findings.
We conducted political economy assessments, institutional diagnostics, and multi-donor evaluations for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and World Bank. We pioneered early-grade reading assessments in Pakistan and designed monitoring systems that inform decision-making.
Strategic Communications & Citizen Engagement
Donor-compliant visibility, reform communication, behavior change campaigns, media engagement, and crisis response. We connect evidence to messages people understand and act on.
Our specialists managed communications for USAID’s $2.6 billion Pakistan portfolio—one of the agency’s most politically complex missions. We built co-branding frameworks for dozens of programmes and co-developed KP’s District Leaders Programme.
Climate Resilience & Environment
Adaptation planning, disaster risk reduction, ecosystem restoration, and climate-smart approaches in agriculture, energy, and infrastructure. Climate risk is integrated into policy, budgeting, and delivery.
We integrate climate considerations across our sectoral work—from introducing climate-resilient crops through the $15M Sindh Agriculture Recovery Programme to embedding disaster preparedness in governance and infrastructure projects.
30+
Years Average Staff Experience
15+
Internationally Trained Consultants
$2.6B
Portfolio Managed
150+
Districts across Pakistan
From Intent to Impact
Advisory & Policy Support
Policy design, institutional reform roadmaps, legal and regulatory strengthening, fiscal and procurement governance.
Program Design & Development
Concept notes, activity design, results frameworks, workplans, and costed implementation strategies.
Implementation Support
Delivery management, quality assurance, field coordination, and hands-on capacity building with counterparts.
Research & Evaluation
Assessments, PEAs, feasibility studies, baselines, midterms, end-lines, and learning agendas.
Communications & Outreach
Visibility strategies, content systems, media engagement, and BCC/C4D with compliance built in.
Financial & Procurement Services
Budgeting, internal controls, donor compliance, procurement advisory, and grants/contract administration.
Mujahid S. Farooqi
Executive Director
Muhammad Ali Bilal
Senior Advisor
(Bids & Contracts)
Waseem Ashraf
Senior Advisor
(Governance & Public Reform)
Sara Parvez
Senior Advisor
(Economic Growth)
Kamran M. Niazi
Senior Advisor
(Youth & Partnerships)
Dr. M. Ahmed Isa
Senior Advisor
(Health and Population)
Waqas Aziz
Director Finance & Administration
Fazal Rabbi
Senior Advisor
(Education)
Why Choose Us
We Believe we will be successful if our clients Are Sucessful
Governance Axis consists of professionals who have proven record in the development sector. We are hardcore experts who have spent decades designing and implementing programs. We understand the difference between output, outcome, and the impact. Our strategies and actions are geared towards achievements that would show long after the projects have completed.
Expert Team
Internationally trained professionals with firsthand experience of working for donors and overseeing nation-wide implementation of projects.
Reliable Support
We go beyond delivering outputs. Our commitment extends through implementation and follow-through, ensuring our inputs lead to tangible, lasting impact. We remain engaged with our partners until results are achieved.
Quality Assurance
Quality is embedded at every stage of our work. We apply rigorous standards, continuous review, and practical validation to ensure that our inputs are accurate, effective, and aligned with the outcomes our partners expect.
Innovative Thinking
We apply forward-looking, practical ideas to complex challenges. By combining experience with new approaches, we deliver solutions that are adaptive, relevant, and designed to create lasting value.
What is Governance Axis?
Governance Axis is an advisory firm founded by senior development practitioners with decades of experience designing and delivering major donor-funded programs across Pakistan. We bring deep sector knowledge in governance, economic growth, social development, climate resilience, and communications—combined with the agility of a small firm.
What makes Governance Axis different from larger implementing partners?
Our clients work directly with senior experts, not layers of junior staff or intermediaries. We translate policy into operational systems, embed reforms inside institutions, and adapt quickly as context shifts. This combination of practical experience, local insight, and responsiveness sets us apart.
What services do you provide?
We offer end-to-end advisory support across:
– Policy and institutional reform
– Program design and activity development
– Implementation support and field coordination
– Research, assessments, and evaluations
– Strategic communications and citizen engagement
– Financial management, procurement, and compliance advisory
Which sectors does Governance Axis work in?
Our expertise spans interconnected systems:
– Governance and public sector reform
– Economic growth and private sector development
– Climate resilience and environmental improvement
– Education, health, and social protection
– Youth and workforce development
– Research, MEL, and analytics
– Strategic communications and behavior change
Who are the people behind Governance Axis?
Our team includes former USAID advisors, program managers, technical specialists, and senior development experts with 20–30+ years of experience. We have overseen multi-billion-dollar donor portfolios, managed major reforms, and led programs in fragile, post-conflict, and climate-affected regions.
Do you have experience working with donors?
Yes. Our team members have led or supported major portfolios with USAID, the World Bank, ADB, UN agencies, and bilateral partners. We bring fluency in donor systems, compliance requirements, and results frameworks—ensuring work is technically sound and fully compliant.
Does the firm have project accomplishments yet?
As a newly established firm, Governance Axis is in its early phase of building partnerships. Our credibility comes from the decades of experience our team members bring from past leadership roles across Pakistan and the region. The firm’s work is grounded in this collective heritage.
How does Governance Axis approach reform and technical assistance?
We focus on practical solutions that can be implemented and sustained:
– Co-design with government and communities
– Evidence-based decisions and diagnostics
– Adaptive planning and course-correction
– Capacity building through real-time problem solving
– Integration of climate, gender, and inclusion across all work
Does Governance Axis offer climate-related services?
Yes. Climate resilience is integrated across our portfolio. Our services include adaptation planning, ecosystem restoration, DRR, climate-smart agriculture and energy solutions, and climate-sensitive budgeting and policy support.
Do you work with the private sector?
We support private sector development through SME competitiveness, value chain strengthening, trade and investment facilitation, PPP design, and workforce readiness programs. Our team has experience in both policy reform and enterprise-level advisory.
Do you provide strategic communications services?
Yes. Our outreach and communications practice covers:
- Donor-compliant visibility systems
- Reform communication and public engagement
- Digital outreach and storytelling
- Behavior change communication (BCC/C4D)
- Crisis and reputation management
Our team has built communications systems for some of Pakistan’s largest portfolios.
Where is Governance Axis based?
We are headquartered in Islamabad, with team members also present in Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi. We work nationwide, including remote, conflict-affected, and climate-impacted areas.
Do you work with government partners?
Yes. We collaborate closely with federal, provincial, and district authorities on policy design, service delivery improvement, fiscal planning, procurement modernization, institutional strengthening, and frontline capacity building.
Do you work with civil society organizations?
We support CSOs through capacity strengthening, program design, research, communications, and partnership development—especially in governance, climate action, youth engagement, and social accountability.
Can Governance Axis support short-term or specialized assignments?
Yes. We maintain an agile network of senior experts across governance, finance, procurement, climate, research, and communications. This allows us to assemble targeted teams for short-term tasks, assessments, and advisory missions.
What is your process for starting a new engagement?
– Initial scoping call
– Review of context and requirements
– Drafting of a tailored technical and staffing approach
– Agreement on timeline and deliverables
– Deployment of senior advisors
How can we contact you?
Phone: +92 (0) 300 856 0246
Email: info@governanceaxis.com
Address: Office 5, Plaza 28, Commercial Complex II, Naval Anchorage, Islamabad.
Or use the contact form on the website.
Let’s start a conversation
The friendly team at Governance Axis is open to discussing ideas and challenges.