Awa is an economist specialising in public finance in developing and transition countries. She currently works with the IDS-led International Centre for Tax and Development on Digital Public Infrastructure and tax. Previously, Dr Diouf worked with the DIGITAX team on the Assessment of the impact of taxes on Digital Financial Services (DFS) and the approach to designing effective taxation.

She holds a doctorate from the Université Clermont Auvergne in France, and the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR), a think tank based in Senegal. Her research focused on the taxation of the primary sector in developing countries, in particular agriculture and extractive industries in Senegal. During her thesis, Awa worked on oil rent-sharing models, the link between tax VAT exemptions and agriculture, import taxation and its effects on competitiveness, and the link between tax revenues from natural resources and agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following her thesis, she coordinated two projects on the effects of Covid-19 in Senegal and the evaluation of social protection measures for vulnerable populations.