Nicholas Dowdall

Biography

Nicholas Dowdall is a director at Ilifa Labantwana, a South African organisation working to secure universal access to quality early childhood development services. His work focuses on strengthening public systems, mobilising partnerships, and supporting reforms that expand access to quality early learning for young children in South Africa. Prior to joining Ilifa, Nicholas worked at the LEGO Foundation, where he helped shape funding strategies and partnerships aimed at improving children’s learning and development at scale. He has also worked within South Africa’s National Department of Basic Education and in academia. Nicholas holds an MSc and DPhil in Social Policy and Intervention from the University of Oxford. His research has focused on parenting, early learning, child development, and the use of evidence to inform policy and practice, and he has published widely in these areas. He remains committed to working at the intersection of evidence, public systems, and social change to improve outcomes for young children and families.