SPEAKERS

With a sound background and track record in highly strategic and political positions at the national and international levels, Mr. Diop holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the International School of Public Administration (Paris, France). Now he is serving as Chief of Staff of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission playing a strategic role of coordination and leading the dialogue with the AU Partners including mobilizing of resources for the implementation of the AU Strategic Plan and the Agenda 2063. I have more recently he served as Special Advisor to the Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a Specialized Agency of the African Union, acting as ACBF Representative, ACBF Liaison Office to the African Union with a focus on advocacy, partnership building and resource mobilization. Previously, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali when the country was recovering from a political and security crisis. At the United Nations, he began the career as Country Director of WFP in Malawi, where repositioned the organization as a partner to the government in food security and social safety nets. Later he served as the Director of the World Food Program (WFP) Africa Office in Addis Ababa. Prior to working with the United Nations, he served as Mali’s Ambassador to the United States, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay and as Senior Diplomatic Advisor to two Presidents of Mali. Mr. Diop has a Doctorate Honoris Causa Degree in Public Service of Chatham University, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.

Adriana Erthal Abdenur the co-founder and Executive Director of Plataforma CIPÓ, an institute based in Brazil dedicated to policy research and advocacy in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has led projects on South-South cooperation, climate and security, migration and refugees, peace operations, and peacebuilding in Latin America and across the Global South, and has published extensively on cooperation between Brazil and African states, as well as on the African Union Peace and Security Architecture. She is a member of the UN Committee on Development Policy (CDP), of the Global Climate Commission, and of the Climate Security Expert Network, created to provide input to the UN system on the climate-security nexus. Dr. Abdenur earned her Ph.D. from Princeton University and her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. She is the mother of two and lives in Rio de Janeiro.

As the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Dr. Kalibata works with the United Nations system and key partners to provide leadership, guidance, and strategic direction towards the 2021 Food Systems Summit. She is responsible for outreach and cooperation with key leaders, including governments, to ensure the Summit serves as a catalytic process within the Decade of Action to improve food systems around the world to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement. Since 2014, Dr. Kalibata has also served as President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), where she leads the organization’s efforts with public and private partners to ensure a food secure and prosperous Africa through rapid, sustainable agricultural growth, improving the productivity and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. Prior to joining AGRA in September 2014, Dr. Kalibata was Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) from 2008 to 2014, where she drove programs that moved her country from a food insecure to a food secure status and became a reference point for other countries that sought to deliver agriculture transformation. Dr. Kalibata has held several other leadership positions, including Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Rwanda. She also worked for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Uganda, and various other agricultural development organizations. She sits on various boards, councils and commissions including the Global Commission on Adaptation, the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, the Global Panel for Agriculture & Food Systems for Nutrition, the Global Agriculture & Food Security Program (GAFSP), the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum, the Malabo-Montpellier Panel, and Africa Risk Capacity, among others. Dr. Kalibata has a distinguished track record as an agricultural scientist, policy maker and thought leader. She was awarded the Yara Prize, now the Africa Food Prize, in 2012, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Liège in 2018, an Honorary Doctorate from McGill Univeristy in 2019, and the National Academy of Sciences’ Public Welfare Medal in April, 2019 for her work to drive Africa’s agricultural transformation through modern sciences and effective policy thereby improving livelihoods of stallholder farmers. Dr. Kalibata holds a doctorate in Entomology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 

Graduated in Chemistry by the Mackenzie University in São Paulo, post-graduation courses in Foreign Trade and International Marketing at Funcex (Foundation Center of Foreign Trade Studies). Also graduated in “History of Art” and “Italian Literature” by the Italian Cultural Institute of São Paulo. She completed her education in England (Language and English Literature courses at ACSE/Cambridge University) and in France (“Langue, Literature et Civilization Française” at Sorbonne). President of Guarany, responsible for starting the Foreign Relations Division, having opened and developed the international market. Also reorganized the company in business units, opening new complementary areas of specialization such as Environmental Health and Forest Fire Fighting. She embraced the environmental cause more than 30 years ago, promoting and incentivating actions such as the “Arboreto Guarany”, “Weaving Forests” Project, the DVD “The Earth hanging by a drop” and the training of the first indigenous Fire-fighting brigades in the National Park of Xingu. Received numerous award from different Institutions and business associations. Vice President of ABIMAQ, and member of the National Council of the Machinery and equipment industry – CONIMAQ – responsible for the strategic planning of the Brazilian capital goods’ industry; President of the Council of the Brazil-Mexican Business Chamber - BRAMEX; Member of the Council of the Italian-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce , and of GEI (“Gruppo Esponenti Italiani”). Also integrates the Council of the Argentine-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce as well as of the CEAL – Business Council of Latin America, as vice president.

Dr. Amaury Fonseca Junior co-founded Vision Brazil Investments in 2006 and has been Vision’s CIO since inception. He currently holds seats on the Board of Directors of several companies. For the last 14 years he has been fiduciary & portfolio manager in Brazil for foreign institutional money in excess of $ 1 billion. In 2015, a 30 thousand hectares farm developed and co-owned by Vision in partnership with a large North American pension fund received a relevant national prize for sustainability on its social, environmental and economic accomplishments. In addition, Vision currently manages an agricultural land portfolio consisting of over 225 thousand hectares and has been a leading investor in agri-credit deploying over USD 800 million into the sector drawing from extensive experience in credit recovery and risk analytics. Prior to Vision, Amaury co-founded Capitania Asset and was its CIO from 2003 to 2006. He held senior management positions at JP Morgan and Bank of America from 1992 through 2003. Amaury also worked as consultant for Thinking Machines and for US Oil&Gas companies in mathematical modeling and numerical algorithms. He holds a PhD from MIT.

A visionary entrepreneur and an industry captain, Dr. Amit N. Thakker, has been a groundbreaking pioneer in the integration of the private sector within the health system in Africa. Dr. Thakker actively supports governments, corporates, health organizations and development partners to foster effective Public-Private Partnership initiatives towards improved health outcomes. He is the Executive Chairman of Africa Health Business, President of Africa Healthcare Federation, Chairman of the Kenya Healthcare Federation and currently serves as a Director with LumiraDx & Ghanima Limited. As an active member of several institutions including international business group YPO Gold (Nairobi Chapter), Dr Thakker also chairs the University of Nairobi Alumni Medical Chapter & serves as an advisor to Asia Africa Investing & Consulting Itd. Dr. Thakker founded Avenue Healthcare, a Kenyan-based integrated private health service provider in 1995 which led him to receive the "Best Male Entrepreneur of the year" award by Rotary International in 1999. He also won the "Best CEO" award by Titans Global in the Business & Professional Services category in 2017 & proudly received the Chairman's Award by Kenya Medical Association in 2004. Africa Health Business is an African health consultancy, advisory and investment firm that aims to improve access to quality affordable healthcare in Africa.

Andres Schipani is the east and central Africa correspondent of the Financial Times based in Nairobi. Until earlier this year, he was Brazil correspondent, and before moving to São Paulo, he was the newspaper's Andes and Caribbean correspondent. Before that, he worked in the FT's New York bureau as a market and emerging markets reporter. A native of Buenos Aires, he is a graduate of the universities of Oxford and Columbia, where he was also a fellow in business, economics, and financial journalism.

Andrew Alli is a finance professional with over thirty years of experience, much of which is in financing infrastructure and energy projects in Africa. Andrew is currently CEO &Partner of Southbridge Group, a Pan-African financial services firm focused on Investment Banking and Sovereign advisory. Before Andrew joined the SouthBridge Group, he was the President & CEO of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and as the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation, Andrew was responsible for the overall strategy and operations of the Corporation. Under his leadership, the executive management undertook over US$4.5 billion in investments across Africa, financing high impact projects like the Jubilee Field in Ghana, numerous oil and gas-related projects in Nigeria, a West African submarine cable, a commercial wind farm in Cape Verde, a toll road in South Africa, a greenfield power plant in Ghana and a flagship road infrastructure project in Cote d’Ivoire. During his tenure, AFC increased the size of its balance sheet four-fold, while gaining the second-highest, investment grade, credit rating of any financial institution in Africa. Until his appointment as CEO of Africa Finance Corporation in November 2008, Andrew was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Travant Capital, a private equity fund. Before that, he was with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector financing arm of the World Bank Group in Washington as an investment officer working first in the Oil, Gas and Mining department and then in the Telecommunications department. In 2002, he was appointed IFC’s Country Manager for Nigeria, responsible for managing IFC’s operations in the country. In 2006, he was appointed Country Manager for Southern Africa, where he was responsible for South Africa and seven other countries. During the course of his career, Mr. Alli has been involved with investments in Africa totaling more than US$8 billion. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Kings College, University of London, an MBA from INSEAD, France and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand (PriceWaterhouseCoopers). Andrew also holds a number of external positions, including non-Executive Director at MTN Nigeria, CDC Group, a UK government-owned DFI, the Development Bank of Nigeria and also Member of the Advisory Board to the Lagos Business School.

Electrical engineer, he is CEO of the multinational Angola Cables, which operates with 3 submarine fiber optic cables in the South Atlantic, 2 AngoNAP Data Centers in Angola and Brazil, integrating the Technological Hub of Fortaleza. Nunes is today one of the 200 BIG Data Global CEO’s and an active participant in the World Economic Forum for the digitization of emerging markets, representing in this forum Angola and Angola Cables’s mission to digitally empower Brazil.

Mme Bineta Diop is currently the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security. She is the founder and President of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), an international NGO based in Geneva with its operation office in Dakar/Senegal. A passionate advocate for the economic empowerment of women, in 2012, under the leadership of Mme Diop, FAS coordinated the launch of the Empowering Women in Agriculture Initiative in Africa (EWA.) as well as a Center of Excellence for Gender, Peace and Development (PAC) for training future young leaders in peace, development and peacebuilding with a special focus on gender. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2011 and was awarded the Légion d’honneur by the French President in 2012. Mme Diop was co-chair of the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2014. Mme Diop studied International Relations and Diplomacy. She has a Honoris Causa from the United Nations-affiliated University for Peace (UPEACE), Costa Rica and Middlesex University, in United Kingdom.

Carlos Lopes is an economist and sociologist from Guinea Bissau. He is currently High Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson for AU-EU Relations Post 2020. He was appointed as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Political Director for Secretary-General Koffi Anan. Between 2012 and 2016, he served as Executive Secretary for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). He is also Honorary Professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town, Visiting Professor at Sciences Po, Paris, Fellow at Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, London.

Executive with expertise in the health, technology and private equity sectors.

Background in investment banking at Merrill Lynch and ABN Amro, structuring equity transactions towards company growth such as IPOs or large capital raisings.

Co-founded Sphera, a global healthcare firm specialized in remote care and a reference in the deployment of digital health / telehealth / telemedicine solutions. Lead the expansion of the company throughout EMEA-CIS-LatAm, developing partnerships with governments, healthcare groups, insurance companies and other key stakeholders to improve the efficiency of healthcare systems.

Obtained a business administration degree with honors from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. 


She has over 30 years of experience in sustainable development, finance, climate change and new economies. She is a representative of the Food and Land Use Coalition, FOLU-Colombia and "Co-Chair" of the FOLU country platforms at the global level. She is also a member of the Independent Technical Advisory Panel of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). She was Director of the Office of Sustainable Development and later Vice director of Environmental and Social Development at the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), coordinating the portfolio of social, environmental and small and medium enterprises (SME) projects in the region. As Vice Minister of Environment of Colombia she coordinated the National Environmental System for four years. She was Environmental Officer for the Latin American Bureau of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. She graduated in Business Administration from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and has two Masters Degrees in Development Economics and Environmental Studies from Yale University, USA. She is co-founder of B Corporations Colombia and currently serves on the boards of directors of "&Green Fund" and Sistema B Colombia.  

Economist, with a Master´s degree in Economics from UFRJ and MBA in Finance from Coppead, Cláudia is an executive with 26 – year career at the National Bank for Economic and Social Development - BNDES. Has experience in several areas throughout her career. She was BNDES´s Director between June of 2016 and March of 2019, responsible for the Industry and Services, Business Origination, and Export Areas.

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Denis Mukwege is a Congolese (D.R.C.) gynecologist. In 2018 he received the Nobel Peace Prize with Nadia Murad. Doctor Mukwege has been working for over 20 years with survivors of sexual violence and women with severe gynecological problems at the Panzi Hospital which he founded in 1999 and where was created a holistic care model called “One Stop Center”, which integrates psychological and medical care, legal assistance and socio-economic support to survivors of sexual violence. Now, this model is implemented in different countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. His action and dedication have been recognized worldwide with various awards such as The United Nations Human Rights Prize (2008), the Olof Palme Prize (2009) and “Officier de la Légion d’Honneur” from the French government (2013). He has also received honorary degrees from different Universities in Europe and America such as a doctorate from the faculty of medicine in Umeå, Sweden (2010), a doctorate of law from the Manitoba University in Canada (2014), a doctorate of science from the Harvard University (2015) and a Doctorate from the University of Angers, in France (2018). Denis Mukwege is married to Madam Madeleine Mapendo Kaboyi; together they have five children.

Mr. Denya is a Zimbabwean national who holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree, an MBA from the University of Zimbabwe and an AMP from Harvard Business School. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ACIS). After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse Mr. Denya worked with Flexible Packaging Zimbabwe Ltd as Group Finance Manager for three years before moving to TA Holdings Limited as Group Financial Executive and Finance Director for TA Motors for another three years. He then began his banking career in 1996 initially at First Merchant Bank of Zimbabwe as Relationship Manager before joining MBCA Bank Limited initially as Finance Director before being appointed Chief Executive and Managing Director till 2006. He was further promoted to the position of Nedbank Africa Managing Director in charge of 5 Banks in 5 Southern African countries based in Johannesburg South Africa until 2010. Mr. Denya joined Afreximbank in May 2010 as Executive Vice President responsible for Finance, Treasury, Credit, Banking Operations, ICT and Administration, a position he still holds to date.

A Rwandan economist and former Finance Minister, Dr. Kaberuka is the 7th President of the African Development Bank (2005-2015). He is credited for expanding the reach and impact of AfDB, Africa’s premier financial institution during his two terms as President. Kaberuka is currently the African Union High Representative for Financing, the Peace Fund and COVID19 response. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of several organisations and think tanks including the Rockefeller Foundation, Center for Global Development, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, The Brookings Institution and the London School of Economics. He serves on the International Advisory Council of Standard Chartered Bank and Co-Chair of Council on State Fragility. He was also nominated in 2017 to Chair the panel on the third External Evaluation of the International Monetary Fund. Since retiring from the African Development Bank, he is Chairman and Managing Partner of SouthBridge a financial and investment advisory firm which he co-founded. He was elected in 2019 as Chair of the Board of The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria.

In 20 years in journalism, Eduardo Castro points out that he was in more than 40 countries and 20 Brazilian states as a special envoy, among whom he participated in special coverage such as the September 11 attacks (2001); the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre (1996); the kidnapping of the Japanese ambassador in Peru (1996); covered the 2000 and 2004 American elections; the funerals of Pope John Paul II (2005); the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal; the elections in Rwanda (2010); the French Cups (98); Korea-Japan (2002) and the World of South Africa (2010); the Athens Olympics (2004) and made presidential trips to Arab countries, China. As a highlight, he mediated debates between candidates for governor and mayor; broadcast masses, São Silvestre races, and narrated CPI hearings live He started his career in 1995 as a reporter for Grupo Bandeirantes in São Paulo. Between 2000 and 2001 he was a correspondent for CNN Radio in Spanish in Brasília and accumulated work in the Brazilian service of Voz da América (VOA); then she was a correspondent in Washington, USA, for about two years, where she covered general Brazilian issues abroad. In 2007, he was a special advisor to Minister Franklin Martins at the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic (Secom). At the time, he worked with the executive group that created the law that established the rules for public communication in Brazil. From 2008 to 2010, he served as executive journalism manager for Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), a federal government company in which he supervised the journalistic production of all the company's vehicles. In 2010 he was a consultant for TV Miramar (Rede Record's broadcaster in Mozambique) in Southern Africa and EBC's correspondent in the country, where he stayed for almost two years. It was at this time that he launched the ElefanteNews Blog with the motto: Crashing with the news, always against the herd - to report the experience abroad. At the end of 2011, the EBC director general, based in Brasília / DF, was appointed by the Presidency of the Republic, with the mission of collaborating with the construction of public communication in Brazil.

Eric Kacou is cofounder and CEO of Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP), an advisory and investment group in Africa. ESP provides Intelligent Capital the right mix of insights and financing to entrepreneurs and leaders across Africa. ESP supports investors, multinationals, champions, and entrepreneurs in identifying, closing, and executing growth opportunities across the continent as well as public sector leaders on economic growth and investments. ESP currently runs ten initiatives that will mentor and finance 400 SMEs and entrepreneurs in 2020 with support from global funders including funding from Mastercard Foundation, USADF and the Edmond de Rothschild (EdR) Foundation. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Kacou has advised senior most leaders in government, development finance institutions and business across Africa. Mr. Kacou has also led the strategy and supported the implementation of high-impact continental initiatives such as YouthConnekt Africa and SMART Africa. Mr. Kacou led the Rwanda National Innovation and Competitiveness (RNIC) Program, a presidential initiative credited with revitalizing Rwanda’s economy through an investment program of over $US 3 billion in Agribusiness, Hospitality, Mining, and ICT from 2001 to 2010. Mr. Kacou has authored two books Entrepreneurial Solutions for Prosperity (2011) and Fly Africa (2018). Mr. Kacou has served as Vice-Chair on the Global Council on Entrepreneurship for the World Economic Forum, Board of the Wharton School, and the Investment Committee of Novastar Ventures. Mr. Kacou earned his MBA at the Wharton School and his MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School as a Mason Fellow. Eric was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, the African Leadership Institute as a Tutu Fellow as well as Forbes as one of Africa’s 20 builders of tomorrow.

Fabrice has enjoyed more than 20 years working with farmers and food systems across the globe with a focus on transition to healthy and regenerative food systems. He is a member of the Earth Commission and has volunteered as an author on numerous IPBES publications including the African Regional Assessment, and the Global Assessment. Fabrice is convinced that food, while currently the biggest threat to health and sustainability are our best bet for a healthy, regenerative and equitable future.

Fatoumata Ba is a Tech Entrepreneur & VC Investor, Founder & Executive Chair of Janngo and Managing Partner of Janngo Capital. Janngo builds, grows and invests in pan-African ‘tech for good’ champions with proven business models and inclusive social impact. Janngo is backed by top-tier African & International strategic and financial investors including the Mulliez Family, Clipperton Finance & African HNWI. At Jumia, the #1 tech unicorn in Africa to be listed on the NYSE, she served as Founder & CEO in Ivory Coast, Managing Director in Nigeria and Member of the Executive committee at Africa level, driving the performance of 130+ operations across Africa, spanning around 10+ verticals in 30+ countries with 3000+ direct jobs, 70000+ indirect jobs and opportunities created for more than 500 000 SMEs across Africa. She is passionate about leapfrogging development through technology in Africa, in particular when it comes to women's entrepreneurship & empowerment, SMEs growth and formalization as well as tackling health and education issues through medtech and edtech. Her career and commitment have been rewarded with several distinctions including The World Economic Forum ‘Young Global Leader’, Choiseul 100 Africa ‘Economic Leaders of Tomorrow’, Forbes Africa ‘30 under 30’ and the Aenne Burda Award for visionary leadership, optimism & courage alongside Marissa Mayer, Arianna Huffington and Viviane Reding. She serves on the Board of SouthBridge Investment Bank, on the Board & Investment Committee of Creadev Africa, on the Council of Women in Africa and on the Global Future Council on the New Economic Agenda of the World Economic Forum.

Fayçal Benameur who has been working at OCP Group for the last 21 years, is currently based in Addis Ababa – Ethiopia, as Group Senior Vice President for East Africa. A graduate from the executive program of MIT Sloan School (USA) and from the Mining Engineering School of Rabat (Morocco), He first joined the OCP Group in 1999. He was the Operation Manager for the Khouribga mining facilities, mainly “Sidi Daoui”, managing a workforce of more than 500 and an annual budget of over 22 Million US dollars. In 2007, he was appointed as a taskforce member in the largest strategic review realized at Group level at the time. Then followed a 2008 assignment to the industrial investment program in order to implement the outcome of the task force as Project Director for the new phosphate ore beneficiation plants (MEA, +200 M$, then EL HALASSA +500 M$). He thereafter joined the team assigned to setup a joint venture between “Jacobs Engineering” and “OCP Group” in 2009. The newly created JESA soon became a global provider of technical, professional, and scientific services, including engineering, architecture, construction, operations and maintenance. From 30 staff members in 2009, JESA is 1800 staff members strong today! Mr. Benameur rejoined OCP in 2012, to setup a new division as the Director of “New Products Development” within the executive commercial department. He lead the development of new businesses for the company such as Animal Feed Phosphate, water soluble fertilizers, customized NPK formulation upon agronomic research, etc. He was appointed as Vice President – PMO for the Group’s Industrial Investment Program in 2015, and as Vice-President of Innovation and Technology within OCP Group in 2016. The end of 2016 saw Fayçal Benameur being expatriated to Ethiopia to setup the OCP Ethiopia office, paving the way for the largest exposure of OCP aboard (more than 350 M$ yearly turnover, a 3.700 M$ investment project on the Pan African Fertilizer Company). Two years later, the scope of his responsibilities have been enlarged to encompass all eastern and southern countries as Senior Vice President for Eastern & Southern Africa.

Dr. Frannie Léautier is an African finance and development expert, with long-standing global experience leading and transforming organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit spheres. Prior to joining TDB, she served as Senior Vice President at the African Development Bank, Vice President at the World Bank Group, and Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation. In addition to having founded two companies, Dr. Léautier is a Board Member, Trustee, Special Advisor, Founder and Member of a number of prestigious international organisations, including the World Economic Forum (WEF), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), OCP Group, African Risk Capacity (ARC), African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Institute for Security Studies (IIS), King Baudouin Foundation USA (KBFUS), Nelson Mandela Institute for Science and Technology (NM-AIST), and others. Likewise, she is a well-recognised author and academic, having published numerous books, articles and papers in international development and having taught Masters-level courses at Sciences Po, MIT, Harvard, Duke, and the University of Tokyo. In addition to her Civil Engineering Degree from Dar es Salaam University and a Transportation Masters from MIT, Dr. Léautier holds a PhD in Infrastructure Systems from MIT, and honorary degrees from North Central College and Lancaster University.

Gilbert F. Houngbo became the sixth President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on 1 April 2017. Born and raised in rural Togo, Houngbo has spent more than 30 years working to improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people, with extensive experience in political affairs, international development, diplomacy and financial management. Prior to his appointment as IFAD President, Houngbo was the Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) where he led field operations in more than 100 countries and managed its bilateral and multilateral partnerships. He served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo from 2008 to 2012, where he introduced economic reforms and enhanced the rule of law and civil liberties. From 1996 to 2008, he undertook a number of roles at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) including Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary-General, Africa Regional Director, where he led poverty alleviation programmes in 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this, he spent a decade in the private sector, including at Price Waterhouse, Canada, where he worked in Audit and Financial Advisory Services. Houngbo has a Matrîse en gestion des entreprises from the University of Lomé, Togo, and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées in Specialised Accounting from the University of Québec, Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants.

Hailemariam Dessalegn was the second Executive Prime Minister of Ethiopia who served from August 2012 following the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi until his resignation and handover to his successor Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed in April 2018. Previously, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Social Affairs Minister and Government Chief- Whip Minister, under Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. He also served as Governor of the Southern Regional State for six years. Born in 1965, he holds a Civil Engineering degree from Addis Ababa University. In 1990 he won a scholarship to Tampere University of Technology in Finland, earning a Master’s degree in Water and Environmental Engineering. He also earned a second Master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in Califorina, USA in 2006. Upon his return from Finland, he served in various academic and administrative capacities, including the Dean of the Water Technology Institute. He is the first leader in Modern Ethiopian history to stepdown voluntarily setting stage for sweeping reform. With annual economic growth rates averaging over 10% during his tenure as Prime Minister, he viewed his resignation as vital in the bid to conduct reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy. After leaving office, Hailemariam co-founded and is the chairperson of Hailemariam & Roman Foundation. The foundation focuses on mother and child healthcare, prevention of non-communicable diseases, nutrition and climate smart agriculture and conservation-based ecotourism. Currently, he is serving as board member and chairperson of various local and international organizations such as Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Tourism Ethiopia, International Crisis Group (ICG), The Brenthurst Foundation, and the Global Steering Committee for the Campaign for Nature. He also engages in giving pu

Hamet Aguemon is an accomplished professional with 18 years of experience in the financial sector. He specializes in debt, credit and restructuring in sub-Saharan Africa. He has several experiences in the private sector including at EDF Trading, Goldman Sachs and VTB Capital between 2004 and 2014 and in the public sector as a special advisor to the Prime Minister of Benin. In addition, Hamet is on the board of several African institutions including African School of Economics, and Bullion Holdings. Hamet is based in Abidjan and is one of the partners of Southbridge, a pan-African group offering financial advisory solutions and services to institutional and private clients across Africa.

Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki of the Republic of Niger is the Chief Executive Officer of African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) formerly known as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency. A former Prime Minister of Niger, from 1997 to 2000, Dr. Mayaki has a Masters Degree from the National School of Public Administration (Enap), Quebec, Canada and a PhD in Administrative Sciences from University of Paris I, France. He worked as a Professor of Public Administration in Niger and Venezuela. Between 1996 and 1997 he was successively appointed Minister in charge of the African Integration and Cooperation and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In August 2000, he set up the Analysis Centre for Public Policy. From 2000 to 2004, Dr Mayaki was a guest Professor at the University of Paris XI, where he lectured on international relations and organizations; he also led research at the Research Centre on Europe and the Contemporary World within that University. In 2004, he served as Executive Director of the Platform in support of Rural Development in West and Central Africa, the Rural Hub, based in Dakar, Senegal, from where he was appointed NEPAD Chief Executive Officer in January 2009.

Ibrahima Cheikh Diong has over 30 years of professional leadership and management experience in Africa, USA, Europe and Asia. As Director-General of the African Risk Capacity Group (ARC Agency and ARC Ltd), Ibrahima is responsible for defining and executing the strategic vision of the institution. Prior to joining ARC, Ibrahima founded and served as the Chairman of the Dakar-based pan-African management, communication and investment advisory firm, Africa Consulting and Trading (ACT Afrique Group). Prior to ACT Afrique Group, Ibrahima held several senior positions; Senior Africa Banker at BNP Paribas out of London; Minister, Special Adviser and Ambassador- at-Large to the President of the Republic of Senegal; Ambassador and Director General of International Cooperation of Senegal; Permanent Secretary of Energy of Senegal; Chairman of the Board of Senegal Airlines; Manager at Africa Department of International Finance Corporation; Regional Coordinator for Africa for Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility at the World Bank. He has also served as the Africa Director at the US-based international management consulting firm, Booz-Allen and Hamilton. While living in Taiwan, he founded an intermediary firm, Africa Consulting in Taiwan (ACT), to support investment flows from Taiwan to Africa. Ibrahima graduated from the School of Int'l and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University in New York City with a Master’s degree in Int'l Affairs (MIA) specialized in International Finance and Environmental policy. He also holds a BSc. of Civil Engineering specialized in Water Resources Management from Hohai Int'l University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. He also holds a diploma in BOOT design.

Agronomist engineer graduated from Paris-Grignon Agricultural Institute (France), Mr. Senghor is a Ph.D graduate of University of Montreal (Canada) in Agroecology. His doctoral subject (Ph.D) has focused on a model that prevents secondary salinization processes of irrigated lands in Sahelian region. In addition to his technical expertise as an agronomist, Mr. Senghor has a relevant experience as a researcher in his field of specialization (agroecology) and a good knowledge of rural development issues in Senegal and in west Africa. He also is familiar with private sector for having set up two companies by himself and, for 12 years, having advised, accompanied, monitored, entrepreneurs, especially young and women. Since June 2017 Mr. Senghor is the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Food Security (CNSA) of Senegal. He is a Minster Adviser to the President of the Republic of Senegal from February 2017. Before that, he served as National Coordinator of the Community Agricultural Domain’s Program (2014-2017), Chief of Staff to the Minister of Youth, Employment and the Promotion of Civic Values of the Republic of Senegal (2013-2014), First Chairman of the Board of the National Agency for Insertion and Agricultural Development - ANIDA (2013-2014), Technical Advisor No.1 to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment (2012-2013), Managing Director of the Fondation d’Appui aux Initiatives de Base en Afrique - FAIB (2002 - 2012), Program Officer at the African Development Foundation (ADF), a U.S. government agency specialized in financing development projects at the community level (1998 - 2002) and Associate researcher at IRD (former ORSTOM), a French research institute: sustainable Irrigated Agriculture Program (1996 - 1998)

Jennifer Blanke is Non-Executive Director at African Risk Capacity Insurance Company Ltd., and sits on the boards of various not-for-profit and development-focused entities. She was previously Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development at the African Development Bank Group, responsible for overseeing the Bank’s strategy, lending and other activities in this area. Prior to that she was Chief Economist at the World Economic Forum, overseeing economic research activities and projects from 2012-2017. Other roles held at the World Economic Forum included Lead Economist and Head of the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking team, and Senior Programme Manager responsible for developing the business, management, and technology sections of the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Before joining the World Economic Forum, Dr Blanke worked for a number of years as a management consultant for Eurogroup (Mazars Group) in Paris, France, where she specialized in banking and financial market organization. She has written and lectured extensively on issues related to national competitiveness and economic development. Dr Blanke holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York, and an MA and PhD in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. In addition, she was until 2019 a member of the Canadian Government’s Council of Economic Growth.

Jiří has led a wide range of transactions in the Telecoms and Media sector spanning M&A, mezzanine and corporate financings in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia as well as M&A deals in East Africa and various DCM and ECM pitches and transactions for a number of key private equity players across the African continent. Telecoms projects include the Helios Towers IPO in 2019, tower financings in Tanzania, DRC and Ghana, the USD 600m inaugural and subsequent bond issues (USD 975m in 2020) for Helios Towers, a holdco PIK instrument for a leading tower company, advisory work on the sale of a telecoms enterprise solutions business in Africa, project financing for a mobile operator in the Middle East, mezzanine and corporate financing for a mobile operator in Cambodia and corporate financings and bespoke structured transactions in the telecoms sector in Angola, Kenya, Namibia and Zambia. Jiří has also been involved in projects in the fintech (equity raise and IPO advisory) and data centre sectors (equity raise advisory). Jiří has been responsible for a wide range of transactions in the media sector including advisory services in respect of raising equity for an East African pay-TV operator, the acquisition of outdoor advertising assets, financing of out-of-home and classified advertising operators in Eastern Europe, financing of a pay-TV operator in the Middle East and project financing for a cable/satellite operator in Africa. Jiří has led projects in cinema financings in Russia and Angola.

Founder and current President of Brazil Africa Institute, he holds a Ph.D. in Education from the Federal University of Ceará and Postdoctoral studies from the University of Brasilia (UNB), with the object of research on the integration of the African continent. He is a visiting professor of important Brazilian and African Universities and he is a Senior International Associate of African, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center - CALACs of Jindal Global University (India). Prof. João Bosco is the author of books and publications related to the relations between the various international actors, focusing on South-South Cooperation. He acts as an international consultant of Brazilian and foreign organizations and as a columnist and commentator of important media in Brazil.

Vice President for Private Sector at the Development Bank of Latin America – CAF and professor of economics at the University of Brasília. Arbache has served as Deputy Minister for International Affairs at the Ministry of Planning of Brazil and as Chief Economist at the Ministry of Planning. Previous positions include Executive Secretary of the Brazil-China Investment Fund; Senior Economic Advisor at the Brazilian Development Bank – BNDES; Senior Economist at the World Bank; Economist at the International Labor Organization; member of the board of directors of large companies and banks; and member of high profile business and policy committees. Arbache is op-ed columnist at Jornal Valor Econômico and has published regularly on development economics and related matters.

Since October 2015, Mr. Jorge Chediek has been the Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, leading United Nations system-wide promotion and coordination of South-South cooperation for development. In March 2016, Mr. Chediek was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as his Envoy on South-South Cooperation. Prior to this, Mr. Chediek served as the UN Resident Coordinator/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Brazil (2010-2015). Preceding his United Nations career, which began in 1990, Mr. Chediek worked at the Department of Legislative Analysis of the Argentinean Congress and as an independent consultant assisting in the design of financial investment systems in Argentina. Born in 1960, he holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service (honors) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Science (“Licenciado”) in Political Science from Catholic University in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

José Graziano da Silva has worked on food security, rural development, and agriculture issues for over 30 years, most notably as the architect of Brazil’s Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) programme and now as the Director-General of FAO. Graziano da Silva led the team that designed the Zero Hunger programme, and, in 2003, was charged by then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to implement the programme as Special Minister of Food Security and the Fight against Hunger. He headed the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2011. Elected Director-General of FAO, he took up office on 1 January 2012. After his first term from 1 January 2012 to 31 July 2015, Graziano da Silva was re-elected for a second 4 year-term (1 August 2015 to 31 July 2019) with the votes of 177 countries during FAO's 39th Conference. At the helm of FAO, Graziano da Silva has sharpened the Organization’s strategic focus; and is strengthening its field presence. He is also working to instill a best value-for-money culture. At the international level, he is working to build consensus on food security-related issues. He has also encouraged closer cooperation with development partners, supports South-South cooperation, and has increased collaboration with civil society and private sector entities, including farmer organizations and cooperatives for smallholder producers. Graziano da Silva holds a Bachelor's Degree in Agronomy and a Master's Degree in Rural Economics and Sociology from the University of São Paulo (USP), and a Ph.D. in Economic Sciences from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He also has post-Doctorate Degrees in Latin American Studies (University College of London) and Environmental Studies (University of California, Santa Cruz). A Brazilian and Italian by nationality, he is married to Paola Ligasacchi and has two children and four grandchildren.

H.E. Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, an Angolan national, is a leading African Agronomist and Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission. Prior to her election in January 2017, she was Special Adviser to two Ministers in Angola: The Angolan Minister of Environment where she also served as Ambassador responsible for Climate Change and advisor to the Minister of Agriculture in charge of Food Security and Poverty Reduction. She was also the Secretary-General of the Inter- African Coffee Organization (IACO) for 13 years.

Julie is a communication specialist with a 20-year career in the fields of broadcast, print, and digital media. Her profile in Kenya grew as she pioneered investigative television and programming on political and current affairs. She conceptualized and launched numerous top shows and developed the pan-African television show, Africa Leadership Dialogues. Following the 2007 elections, Julie’s peace specials resonated with viewers. As a result of her calls for non-violent action in 2008 she was awarded the Martin Luther King Salute to Greatness. Following this pivotal period, determined to contribute towards a more informed and responsible generation, Julie established the Great Debaters Contest, a high school debate platform focused on teaching students that differences need not result in conflict and violence. Her career focus shifted to curating impactful engagements and driving conversations focused on African leadership, growth, and development. Over the past decade Julie has worked very closley with partners like the World Bank, the IFC, the African Development Bank, various UN agencies, Uongozi Institute, and the World Economic Forum. As an advocate for positive change, Julie established her own production house, Arimus Media Limited, focused on editorial, production, and digital content, training and ‘Igniting Possibilities’ through collaborative programs and initiatives. She sits on several Boards and is part of a number of Fellowships, including the Tutu Fellowship, the Aspen Global Leadership Network/Africa Leadership Initiative and the Young Global Leaders under the World Economic Forum. Julie has received numerous awards and recognitions. Most recently, Avance Media listed her as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women of 2019, and New African listed her as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2019. Julie was born in Nairobi, Kenya. She attended university in the United Kingdom where she earned her LLB Law and MBA from Cardiff University’s Law and Business Schools respectively.

Julie Makani is Associate Professor in the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), the main clinical, academic and research center in Tanzania. Tanzania has recognized sickle cell disease (SCD), as a major public health problem and it has been included as a priority condition in the national strategy for Non-Communicable Diseases in the Ministry of Health. With global partnerships, Muhimbili has developed a systematic framework for research, integrated into health, advocacy and education. With prospective surveillance (2004 – 2016) of over 5,000 SCD patients, this is one of the largest single-center, SCD research programs in the world. Tanzania is establishing networks at institutional, national, regional (REDAC), African (Sickle Pan-African Network - 17 countries), and global level. In order to develop platforms for advocacy, Tanzania has supported the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tanzania (2010 - 2018) and the Tanzania Sickle Cell Disease Alliance (Established 2016). Scientific themes include clinical research, biomedical research (including genomics) and public health [including ethics, social/behavioral science, population health and health policy]. The aim is to use SCD as a model to establish scientific and healthcare solutions in Africa that are locally relevant and globally significant. Julie trained in Medicine (Tanzania) and Internal Medicine (UK), and completed her PhD in clinical epidemiology of SCD (UK). She has received several national and international awards for her academic and scientific achievements. She was a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow [Training (2003 – 2009), Intermediate (2012 - 2017)], Tutu Leadership Fellow (2009) and Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, University of Oxford (2003- 2016). She received the 2011 Royal Society Pfizer Award for her work in using anemia in SCD as a model of translating genetic research into health benefit. She is a Consultant Physician in Hematology and Blood Transfusion and Principal Investigator (PI) for Sickle Pan African Consortium (SPARCO)/ SickleInAfrica; Site PI for MUHAS for H3ABioNet and Co-PI SickleGenAfrica. She is a Fellow of Royal College of Physicians of United Kingdom and Tanzania Academy of Sciences.

Kampeta has 16 years of progressive professional experience as an international development practitioner in both public and private institutions within Rwanda and the East African Region. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) Plc; and, prior to joining the Bank, she was the Director-General of the National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM). She previously served as the Director of Cabinet in the Prime Minister’s Office (PRIMATURE), and worked at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) for a decade where she held various senior positions including Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury. Before joining the public service, she was a Professional Associate at the World Bank. Kampeta has also served on the Board of Directors of diverse institutions such as PTA Bank, the East African Development Bank (EADB), Rwanda Eurobond Committee, GT Bank, and National Capacity Building Secretariat, and Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA). She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kivu Marina Bay Ltd and IBDAA Microfinance Institution of Rwanda She holds a master’s degree in Economic Development and Policy Analysis from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom (UK).

Kapil Kapoor is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Developex, an economic and financial advisory company, specializing in project finance in Africa and Asia. Immediately prior to starting his own company in 2020, he was the Director General, Southern Africa, at the African Development Bank. In this capacity, he provided leadership to a team of about 150 staff, managing an active portfolio of about 200 projects and programs across 13 countries in Southern Africa, valued in excess of US$12 billion. He has also served as the Senior Director for Strategy and Operational Policies at the African Development Bank and led the preparation of the Bank’s Long Term Strategy for Africa, with a central focus on assisting the continent accelerate growth and transition to Green Growth. Before joining the African Development Bank, Dr. Kapoor was a manager and development economist with the World Bank for over twenty years. During this period, he established a solid track record of effectively engaging Governments in high level policy dialogue, catalyzing policy change in a variety of difficult economic and political settings and supporting development initiatives through innovative project finance. Dr. Kapoor has been a member of the Executive Board of the Kukuza Project Development Company. He is on the Board of the Brazil-Africa Institute and is a Senior Fellow at the Africa Center for Economic Transformation. He holds a PhD degree in Economics and an MBA degree in Finance.

Founder and Managing Partner of SouthBridge, Lionel Zinsou is a former Prime Minister of Benin (2015-2016). Before that, he was successively member of the Executive committee of Danone where he held several executive positions, General Partner at Rothschild & Cie and President of PAI Partners, one of the leading European Private Equity firms. Lionel Zinsou started his career as an academic in France (University Paris XIII and ENS) before joining the office of the Ministry of Industry (1980-1984) and Prime Minister (1983-1986), Laurent Fabius. Mr Zinsou is currently on the board of several institutions and corporates including Terra Nova (Chairman), Danone and PAI Partners. He studied at Ecole Normale Supérieure and at Paris IV and Paris VII universities (history of economics) in France (University Paris XIII and ENS). He also graduated from Sciences Po Paris and was a research student at the London School of Economics.

Mamadou Biteye is Vice President, Social Impact for the Central Europe, Middle East and Africa -CEMEA- Region at VISA, based in Dubai. Mamadou works closely with the CEMEA Leadership Team to develop a Social Impact strategy for the region and implement programs that align to regional and market business priorities. He is responsible for engaging non-profit, client, and government organizations as well as Visa employees to bring the VISA Social Impact vision to life in markets across CEMEA. Mamadou has over 25 years of experience in strategic leadership, advocacy and campaigning, community development, and capacity building with extensive field experience in Africa and around the world. Prior to VISA, Mamadou served at The Rockefeller Foundation as Managing Director for the Africa Region, leading programs such as the Digital Jobs Africa initiative, Global Impact Sourcing Coalition, as well as developing partnerships with key institutions, including the African Development Bank, the Gates Foundation, and USAID to support the Foundation’s work. Prior to the Foundation, he held various leadership roles in Oxfam including Regional Director for West Africa Oxfam Great Britain and Oxfam America, leading the development of regional strategies and programs. Mamadou also currently serves as an advisor and board member for various international organizations such as the World Bank’s S4YE, the African Women Leadership Fund, and the Centre for African Philanthropy and Social Investment. Mamadou holds a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from Ohio State University. He is an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), and he was also recognized as a 2019 Top 100 Most Influential Africans by The Africa Report for his work. Originally, from Senegal, Mamadou speaks English, French, Russian, Portuguese, and Wolof.

After several career paths in Brazil, Europe​(Germany) and lastly in Africa​(Angola - as the operations and marketing manager for a cargo airline)​, Marcos Brandalise started Brazafric Enterprises Ltd ​(A Member of BGC) in 1996. He has lived in Africa for over 32 years, and has over 25 years experience supporting the agribusiness sector in offering complete turnkey projects. Today BGC is with 12 Companies being part of the group.

Short bio: Senior non-profit and social enterprise leadership professional specializing in activating and catalyzing collective impact at scale. Particular focus on optimizing impact of mission-driven networks and organizations committed to leveraging research and data, in collaboration with youth and those who influence their opportunities and decisions, to improve equity and well-being of populations around the world. Expertise in education, life skills, and entrepreneurship for social transformation through formal and non-formal programs targeting underserved youth across Africa, Latin America and Asia; and in designing, improving and assessing social betterment and social entrepreneurship programs. Currently Managing Director of International Development at AIR. Founder of Be the Change Inc; recently served as VP focused on strategy, learning and impact with African Leadership Academy; previously with Mastercard Foundation as a primary architect of signature $1B Scholars program for African youth. Prior to MCF, led global program on education and empowerment for disadvantaged children, particularly girls, across 19 low-income countries as a senior manager in an INGO; and award-winning adjunct faculty and coordinator of student advising and support services in a major US University.

Martin Fregene is a geneticist & agricultural policy expert with over 25 years of research and development experience at two International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs). He is currently Director of Agriculture and Agro-Industry (AHAI) at the African Development Bank working on implementation of a bold initiative of the Bank, the Feed Africa Strategy in collaboration with AHAI’s sister department at the Bank, Agricultural Financing and Rural Development (AHFR). Dr Fregene has a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and a M.Sc. degree in Organic chemistry at the same University. He further went on to do his doctorate in plant genetics and breeding at the John Innes Center, Norwich UK, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.

Since 1988, Mauro Bellini has pursued his professional activities related to Marcopolo, in strategic sectors in Engineering, Marketing, exports and opening new markets. For 11 years, from 1996 to 2007, he reached markets in the African continent and the Middle East, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. This experience provided him with a deep understanding of the company, its internal structure, its dynamics, operation and processes, in addition to extensive contact with customers from the most diverse countries in the world. In 2007, he became a member of Marcopolo's Strategy and Innovation Committee and participated in the Board of Directors' meetings. He made several national and international business trips in order to get to know markets in the most diverse geographic regions in order to evaluate business opportunities for Marcopolo in countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, among others. In 2010, he was appointed vice president of the Board of Directors and continued to serve on the Executive Committees and directly participate in the company's decisions. In March 2012, he was appointed chairman of the Board of Directors of Marcopolo. In 2016 he became a member of the Marcopolo Strategy Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Banco Moneo. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marcopolo, Vice President of CIERGS, President of the Rio Grande do Sul Golf Federation, Member of Transforma RS, Member of the Board of Directors of Fundação Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Member of the Superior Council of SIMECS, President of CEMBRAR and Vice President of Industry at CIC.

Mercy Karanja is a Senior Program officer in Agricultural Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. In her over ten years’ tenure at the foundation she has made investments to strengthen rural advisory services; investments to support universities to review and address their curricula to respond to the needs of industry in contributing to the well‐being of small‐scale producers and economic development of countries throughout the sub‐Saharan Africa. Currently she supports the country-led Agriculture strategy, bringing the context of Africa to strategy conversations, working with governments to strengthen national institutions and systems to enhance delivery of services for small holder producers. She brings a wealth of experience from her previous work in key development institutions: working in Kenyan government for 15-years, CEO of Kenya National farmers Union; Global Advocacy with International Federation of agricultural producers (Paris), and senior lecturer at Egerton Agricultural University (Kenya). She has a passion for human capital and institutional strengthening in service of small holder farmers.

Miguel joined Citigroup in 2010 as Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Portugal. In mid-2012, he was appointed Head of Investment Banking Africa (exc. SA & Egypt). In November 2017 Miguel was appointed Head of Investment Banking for the Middle East and Africa (ex SA). Prior to working at Citigroup, Miguel was a Senior Country Advisor in Bank of America Merrill Lynch and an Executive Director in Goldman Sachs. Miguel has an MBA in Finance from City University (Cass) Business School, and an Economics degree from Nova School of Business and Economics. He has been extremely active with his Citi colleagues in advising on reference M&A transactions; recent transactions include advising Access Bank on its merger with Diamond bank in Nigeria, Liquid Telecom in the investment made by CDC (east and Southern Africa), Helios on HTN sale (Nigeria) , Brookside (Kenya), Lafarge Africa (Nigeria), AMCON/ Enterprise Bank, Kansai (Japan and East Africa) and TGI/CHI (Nigeria). In the capital markets space, Miguel has been involved in most reference transactions in Africa such as: Bond deals for Liquid Telecom, IHS, Nigerian banks including Zenith, UBA, AFC and Access amongst many others; he has also been involved in some of the largest equity deals out of Sub-Saharan Africa such as the IPO´s of VIVO and ASA international in the London Stock Exchange in 2018 as well as many others over the last few years, including Atlas Mara, Seplat, Fairfax Africa and Unilever Nigeria. Miguel is a regular contributor to CNBC Europe, CNBC Africa and BloombergTV as well as a regular speaker in Africa focused events (World Economic Forum Africa; Milken Institute; New York Forum Africa, Africa Investment Summit).

Miguel Stief has 34 years of successful career holding positions as CEO / Senior VP / Board Member in large technology companies such as Philips , NXP Semiconductors , LiteOn and PositivoBGH living and working in countries such as Brazil , USA , China , Germany and Argentina. As CEO of PositivoBGH ( JV of Positivo Brazil and BGH Argentina ) was responsible to start and develop the group operations in Africa setting up factories in Rwanda and Kenya , and leading Digital Literacy Programs in Education together with Digital Government Projects in several countries. Today Miguel is part of PositivoBGH board with special focus on group business development in Africa and also runs his own company specialized in technology projects.

Born on August 27, 1961 in Niger of Malian parents with a long family tradition in business and commerce, Mr. Bally grew up in Niger and Mali and studied in France first and then in the United States, where he perfected his business knowledge by obtaining a master’s degree in management and finance from the University of San Francisco, California. Bally began his business into the African hotel industry by focusing first on her home country, Mali. In 1994, the “Société Malienne de Promotion Hôtelière” (SMPH) was created to acquire the first hotel in what would later become the Azalaï Hotels Group, following the privatization of the mythical Grand Hotel in Bamako. In 2000, with a solid reputation based on the quality of service and the management of its first hotel, SMPH built Hotel Salam and became the manager of Hotel Nord Sud, both based in Bamako. The company, which became the Azalaï Hotels Group in 2005, then exported its know-how and continued its expansion outside Mali. From Ouagadougou, through the acquisition of Hôtel Indépendance, to Cotonou (Hôtel de la Plage), Bissau (Hôtel 24 de Setembro), and soon Abidjan, Nouakchott Dakar, Niamey and Conakry, the Azalaï Hotels Group, which employs over 700 people, and more than 3500 indirectly, aims to be present in all UEMOA countries. In less than 20 years, it has become the leading West African hotel group, building an international reputation based on the quality of its services and hospitality, its renovated infrastructures and the rigour of its management. Bally, through the Azalaï Hotels Group, strives to give a conquering vision of “African Enterprise”.

Naledi Pandor is South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. She became an MP in 1994 and has amassed impressive experience in positions of public office, including deputy chief whip of the ANC in the National Assembly from 1995 to 1998, deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in 1998, and its Chairperson from 1999-2004. Her experience in education policy planning made her a welcome appointment as South Africa’s Minister of Education in 2004. She has been a member of cabinet ever since, serving as Minister of Education (2004-2009), Minister of Science and Technology (2009-2012), Minister of Home Affairs (2012-2014), Minister of Science and Technology (2014-2018); Minister of Higher Education and Training (2018-19). Pandor has a Phd from the University of Pretoria (2019) and honorary doctorates from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of Stellenbosch, and the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and the University College Dublin in Ireland. On awarding her Germany's highest federal award, the Grand Cross of Merit, the German Ambassador to South Africa, Walter Lindner, said: "Pandor is for us a symbol of the new South Africa: modern, innovative, dedicated to scientific progress and also outstanding female leadership". She is married to Sharif Pandor and they have four children and four grandchildren.

25 years of international investment banking, having focused on African markets for the past 8 years. CEO of Standard Bank Brazil since 2018 and Head of Power & Infra-structure for LATAM since 2012. Prior to Standard Bank, occupied different senior positions in leading global financial institutions including JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America Merril Lynch and ING Bank. Extensive track record in local and international Debt Capital Markets & Syndications, having coordinated for 5 years the Real Estate Mortgages Securities Committee at the Brazilian National Association of Investment Banks. Natalia holds a Honors Degree in Public Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas and specialization in Finance by the Amsterdam Institute of Finance

Nicholas Norbrook is the Managing Editor of The Africa Report. A multi-award-winning journalist, Nicholas has previously worked for Radio France International and Africa Confidential. His interests include industrialisation strategies of African countries and the future of commerce. He is the host of The Africa Report's podcast, ‘Talking Africa’, and has most recently been driving the digital growth of the magazine.

Nísia Trindade Lima is a Ph.D. in Sociology and has been a researcher and professor at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) for more than three decades. In 2016, she was named president of Fiocruz and in 2017 she became the first woman to take office. She joined the Foundation in 1987 as a researcher at Casa de Oswaldo Cruz (COC / Fiocruz), a unit dedicated to the history and philosophy of science and health. Before becoming president, she was director of COC (1999 to 2005) and the Fiocruz publishing house (2006-2011). As Vice President of Education (2011-2016), she as responsible for the creation of the Zika Social Sciences Network.

Njack Kane heads the Intervalle Group of companies. He also serves as vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, a research-­­based agriculture advocacy organization based in Washington DC and is a Member of the Board of the Winds of Hope Foundation. He began his career in commodities trading, to Africa in particular, at the Continental Grain Company more than 20 years ago. Between 1993 and 1996 he was Sales Director for the Glencore International Rice Department, then worked as Executive Director for Ascot Commodities prior to founding Novel Commodities in 1999. He has run the rice department at Novel commodities SA since inception and until late 2011 before managing until 2013 the Novel group, with a strong focus on West Africa. Kane completed his studies in Switzerland and he graduated with a degree in Political Sciences from the University of Geneva.

Divine Ntiokam recognizes the critical importance of the youth in building a resilient, sustainable and prosperous agricultural sector in Africa. This passion drove Divine to start the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (CSAYN) in May 2014, of which he is now the Managing Director. Teams in 65 countries work to raise awareness of Climate Smart

Obi Emekekwue is President of DelReeve Konsult, a specialised Communications and Business Advisory firm providing Africa-focused solutions to businesses operating in or entering the continent. Mr. Emekekwue retired from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in April 2020 after serving as the Director & Global Head for Communications and Events Management. As Director and Global Head, he led the development and management of the design and implementation of the Bank’s communications strategy, implementing an annual budget of almost $10 million and overseeing the organization of all Bank events and brand implementation. Mr. Emekekwue had established the Bank’s communications function in September 2012 when he joined Afreximbank as Senior Manager and Head of the then External Communications unit. Prior to joining Afreximbank, Mr. Emekekwue worked for 18 years at the United Nations, serving both at the Headquarters in New York and in the field. His United Nations experience included stints as Public Information Officer, Media Specialist and Programme Specialist in several key agencies. These included the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with tasks spanning such areas as press coverage of the United Nations General Assembly and its Main Committees; management of Africa-focused communications activities at UNDP; overseeing communications activities at the United Nations Country Team in Papua New Guinea; and overseeing the implementation of population development programmes and activities in 11 West African countries at UNFPA. Before his United Nations career, he was United Nations and North America Bureau Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), an organization he also served variously as Senior Political Correspondent, Business Correspondent, Editor, Sub-Editor, and Sports Correspondent.

Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, previously known as OCP Policy Center, principal at Center for Macroeconomics and Development and non-resident fellow at Brookings Institute. Canuto was Vice President and Executive Director at the World Bank, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Vice President at the Inter-American Development Bank. He was also Deputy Minister for international affairs at Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, as well as professor of economics at University of São Paulo (USP) and University of Campinas (UNICAMP).

Mr. Dlamini was the Chairperson of Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Africa region, SADC Development Finance Institutions, Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) and World Federation Development Finance Institutions (WFDFI). He is currently the Vice Chairman of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC). Mr. Dlamini holds an MSc in Global Finance from the New York University Stern School of Business/Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a Bachelor of Commerce (B Comm) degree from the University of Durban-Westville. Mr. Dlamini further received certificates for completing an Executive Development Programme (EDP) from the University of the Witwatersrand Business School (WBS) and an Advanced Executive Programme from Kellogg School of Management

Paulo Gomes has over 25 years of experience both in the public and private sectors. He has advised and worked with several heads of states and governments on key projects throughout the African continent. He has assisted a few of them to establish investment advisory bodies and served on international committees. Paulo Gomes has also served at very senior levels in multi-lateral development institutions, from the World Bank to the West African Development Bank (BOAD). He was member of the board of the Green Climate Fund in South Korea.

Pierre Guislain is currently providing advice on private sector and infrastructure development in emerging markets. Pierre was most recently Vice-President at the African Development Bank in charge of Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation (2016-2019). His areas of responsibility also included financial sector development, urban development, information and communication technologies, as well as trade. He led the Bank's "Industrialise Africa" strategic priority and co-led "Integrate Africa". Before joining AfDB, Pierre was Senior Director at the World Bank in charge of Transport and Information and Communication Technologies (2014-2016). He also served as Director of the World Bank Group’s Investment Climate Department (2006-2014) and as IFC Co-Director for Fragile and Conflict Affected countries (2012-2014). Pierre has led multiple programmes on a broad range of topics including liberalization of the telecommunications sector, private investment in infrastructure, regional integration, road safety, investment climate, competition policy, and financial inclusion, to name just a few. He is the author of publications on private sector development, foreign direct investment, ICT, infrastructure reform and privatisation. He holds a Master's Degree in Public Affairs (Economics and Public Policy) from Princeton University as well as a Graduate Degree in Belgian and International Law and a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from the Université Catholique de Louvain.

Robert Nyasimi is a Director and a group CEO for RentCo Africa Limited with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. He oversees the running of the leading leasing firm in the region. He is the former Pioneer Chairman of the Leasing Association of Kenya (LAK) is a key player in the industry and has leveraged his expertise and experience in asset management to greatly influence and direct the leasing business in Kenya and across the region for decades. He holds MSc Marketing from University of Glamorgan, UK, Postgraduate Diploma Marketing (DIPM) UK, Advanced dip – CIM UK, Robert is a trained Credit and Risk Manager from Kenya School of Monetary Studies and a registered professional with Associate Kenya Institute of Bankers (AKIB). He has amassed over 25 years of hands on experience in people management, Asset Finance, business development, sales and contracting. Robert brings to his position a well-established background in leadership, Finance and Business development. Prior to taking on the position of CEO at RentCo, he managed Rentworks EA Ltd Business functions as the General Manager. His experience in this business involved roles at the technical consultant, developing and delivering practical services for a wide variety of customers, as well as responsibilities in business development, operational and P&L management. He served as a consultant at International Finance Corporation (IFC), Previously he was the Deputy Head of Asset Finance at Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd. RentCo is recognized as a regional leader in leasing and has a highly talented team of professionals who design, develop, sell and deliver world class lease solutions. As CEO and projects lead, Robert goal is to drive a portfolio change aligned to changing customer needs. His responsibilities in this role include developing new service offers and work with product teams, marketing, sales and delivery to ensure flawless execution at region and country levels.

Graduated in Law at the University of São Paulo; President of ABRAFRUTAS - Brazilian Association of Exporters of Fruits and Derivatives; Founding partner and Director of Agrícola Famosa; President of the Sectorial Chamber of the Fruit Production Chain of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply President of the COEX - Executive Committee for Monitoring the Fruit Fly.

Roberto Rodrigues is an agronomist and farmer, coordinator of the Agribusiness Center at FGV and FAO Special Ambassador for Cooperatives. He was a professor of the Department of Rural Economy (UNESP) – Jaboticabal-SP and chaired the Brazilian Cooperatives Organization (OCB), Superior Council of Agribusiness of FIESP (COSAG), Brazilian Rural Society (SRB), the Brazilian Agribusiness Association (ABAG ) and World Alliance of Cooperatives (ACI). He has also served as Secretary of Agriculture of the State of São Paulo (1993/1994) and Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (2003-2006).

Graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Caxias do Sul and with a specialization in Administration and Marketing from the same University. Currently performs the function of Vice President of Hyva Global for the Americas, being responsible for Hyva's operations in North and South America and CEO of Hyva do Brasil, the world's leading multinational company in the manufacture of Telescopic Hydraulic Cylinders, Hydraulic Kits and with a prominent worldwide position in the manufacture of Truck Mounted Articulated Cranes.

Graduated from Harvard Business School (USA) and Ecole Supérieure des Affaires de Grenoble (France). He is an American Chartered Accountant (US CPA), Certified Chartered Accountant and Statutory Auditor in France. Since April 6, 2016, where he serves as Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Benin, Mr. Romuald Wadagni has worked on consolidating public finances, launching an ambitious reform Benin's public finance management system and the structural transformation of the Beninese economy. The reforms it was able to implement as well as the results achieved under the three-year program of the IMF's enhanced credit facility with Benin for the period 2017-2019, were deemed very satisfactory by the Board of Directors. of the IMF during these last three reviews. Minister of Finance of the Year Award for 2019, he awarded at the 54th Annual General Assembly of the African Development Bank. Between June 2018 and April 2020, he was Chairman of the Statutory Council of Ministers of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) where he led numerous reforms, in particular the historic one of the FCFA. Before joining the government of Benin, Romuald Wadagni began his career at Deloitte as an assistant auditor in 1999 and held the positions of Audit Manager for Francophone Africa and Director of Professional Practice for all of the activities of Deloitte in Francophone Africa. In 2012, he demonstrated unparalleled entrepreneurial qualities by creating the offices of Deloitte in the DRC (in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi) of which he will be the Managing Director.

Roselyne is currently Arise’s Country Head in Côte d’Ivoire, Chairwoman & CEO of Arise Ivoire. She joined Olam in Gabon in 2012 and her background in the company while extensive is not traditional. After more than 6 years at Olam, she transitioned to her new role at Arise, the recently established infrastructure platform. Over the time and within Gabon, from her love for big picture planning and appeal for daily operational management, she developed some interests for entrepreneurship with a genuine passion for addressing changes to industry and Africa at large. In 2016, she was appointed as Business Development head and led the business strategy, “brand” awareness and growth of the platform by vetting new partnerships and licensing opportunities in Africa. She put her best foot forward to identify and structure good infrastructure and logistics opportunities to grow the infrastructure platform, expand the business internationally. Mostly in West-Central Africa, she promoted a close relationship with key stakeholders, decision-makers and governments based on mutual advantage and sustainable development. In end-July 2017, she identified a bulk terminal opportunity as part of San Pedro’s port development plans enabling the company to secure its first infrastructure deal outside Gabon, a 35-year concession in form of a EUR 161 million greenfield bulk port project (TIPSP) in a JV in December 2017. She negotiated the concession agreement with the authorities and in March 2018, TIPSP’s board of directors appointed her as the company’s Managing Director. TIPSP’s construction phase is ongoing with a ca. 530 manpower and a planned delivery in 2021. Since September 2018, she has also been the Country Head for Arise in Côte d’Ivoire. In 2020, following the reorganization of Arise, she has become Chairwoman and CEO of Arise Ivoire, a 100% subsidy of Arise SEZ. She capitalized on her strong momentum to lead and conceptualize one of the most high-profile deals of the year 2020 in the country, signing a concession agreement with the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for 3 industrial economic zones to be developed in 3 locations (Abidjan, Ferkessedougou and San Pedro). Aiming at creating 350,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030 and contributing to synergies and economic empowerment all across the country, those industrial ecosystems would enable the local processing of agriproducts, contributing to add value to the country’s export revenues and having a significant impact on GDP. With 12 years of experience, she graduated from ESCP Europe with a Master’s in International Management, a Master Grandes Ecoles and a Diplom Kauffrau. She started her career as an investment banker and has previously served at global companies including HSBC (Paris, Johannesburg and Frankfurt offices), Capgemini or BGFIBank group. In her previous roles at Olam in Gabon she started as risk and financial analyst reporting to the country head and later became head of communications. Outside of the office, she can be found enjoying big family dinners, exploring the world and experimenting as an aspiring interior decorator.

Mr. Samaila Zubairu was appointed as Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)’s 3rd President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2018. AFC is an investment-grade, multilateral financial institution focused on providing solutions to Africa’s infrastructure deficit and challenging business environment by developing and financing infrastructure, natural resources and industrial assets which enhance productivity and economic growth of African states. At the start of the Corporation’s second decade of operation, Mallam Zubairu provided decisive entrepreneurial leadership that propelled the development and implementation of a new five-year corporate strategy which at its core, addresses the urgent mandate of developing and financing power, mining, transport, telecommunications and heavy industries. Key pillars of the strategy include: enhancing the capacity of the team and entrenching a High-Performance Culture; coherent ecosystem strategy for value-accretive beneficiation and import substitution; proactive risk and portfolio management to improve AFC’s rating and diversifying the Corporation’s funding sources. Mr. Zubairu currently represents the Corporation’s interests on the Board of Directors of: Aker Energy A.S. - Vice Chairman; Cenpower Generation Company Limited; Danakali Colluli [Potash] Mining Limited; Thor Gold Explorations Limited; ARISE Port & Logistics; Takoradi Port Expansion Project; Novelle Gabon Mine. Additionally, Samaila sits on the Advisory Board of the United Nations administered Nigeria Humanitarian Fund—Private Sector Initiative (NHF PSI) for internally displaced persons in North-Eastern Nigeria. Prior to his appointment, Mallam Zubairu was the CEO of Africapital Management Limited and Chief Financial Officer for Dangote Cement Plc, as well as the Treasurer for Dangote Group. He also worked at Liberty Merchant Bank Plc, FSB Plc (now Fidelity Bank), Denham Management Company and Muhtari Dangana & Co (Chartered Accountants). Samaila is an Eisenhower Fellow and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Nigeria (FCA). He holds a BSc in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.

Since 18 August 2020, he became President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD). Prior to joining the community development finance institution of the member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), he served since 2016 as Natixis´ Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) Country Manager for the UK in London. He combined this position with that of Head of Global Markets for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In addition, Serge Ekué was previously Head of Natixis´ Africa and Russia Departments. A well-known expert in financial and capital markets, Serge managed Natixis' Global Markets for the Asia-Pacific region for nearly six years (2010-2016) before taking over as Chief Executive Officer of the bank based in Hong Kong. Having held these important positions worldwide, he has over twenty years of experience in global finance, structured finance and markets. He holds an Executive MBA from HEC Paris, a post-graduate degree in Banking & Finance from Paris V University and a degree from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux. With extensive experience at the international level, he takes over the helm of the sub-regional development finance institution.

Sérgio Gusmão Suchodolski currently holds the position of President of the Development Bank of Minas Gerais (BDMG) and the Brazilian Development Association (ABDE). In addition, he is Director of the Executive Committee of the Latin American Association of Financial Institutions for Development (ALIDE). He holds a law degree from USP, a master's degree in law from Harvard Law School and international trade, economics and political science from Sciences Po - Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris. He was Director-General for Strategy and Partnerships at New Development Bank, the BRICS bank.

Simeon Ehui a national of Cote d’Ivoire, has been since July 1, 2019, the World Bank’s Regional Director for Sustainable Development for Africa and more recently since July 1, 2020, Regional Director for West and Central Africa covering agriculture, environment, social, water, urban and climate. His main responsibility, among other things, is to provide vision, coherence, and focus for sustainable development in West and Central Africa consistent with the regional/country strategies.   Before his current assignment, Simeon was Director of the World Bank’s Food and Agriculture Global Practice (2017-2019). Since joining the World Bank in 2003, Simeon has held several assignments. He was manager of the Food and Agriculture Global Practice for Africa (2015-2017) and South Asia (2009-2015). He also served as Lead Economist and Sector Leader for the Sustainable Development Network in Nigeria covering a variety of sectors such as agriculture, environment, transport, and energy. Before joining the World Bank, Simeon worked for 15 years in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). He managed multi-country agricultural research development programs in Africa and Asia for both the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Simeon holds a Masters (1983) and Ph.D. (1987). in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, in Indiana, USA, and has published extensively in his field. He also holds a Masters (1981) and Bachelors (1980) in Economics from the National University of Cote d’Ivoire Simeon is an honorary fellow of the African Agricultural Economist Association, and a Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus of Purdue University.

Simplice ANOH is one of Africa’s emerging technology leaders and visionaries. He has founded and built successful technology businesses across the continent and is passionate about delivering world-class technology products and services to African consumers. He is also the Founder and CEO of DAT. His goal is to develop groundbreaking, value-added wireless services that keep DAT at the forefront of the industry. One of his key achievements has been to help mobile carriers boost their VAS revenues by up to 30% in only 12 months. Simplice is a graduate from J.L. Kellogg School of Management and Harvard University.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was elected as WHO Director-General for a five-year term by WHO Member States at the Seventieth World Health Assembly in May 2017. He is the first WHO Director-General to have been elected from multiple candidates by the World Health Assembly, and is the first person from the WHO African Region to serve as WHO's chief technical and administrative officer. Prior to his election as WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012–2016. In this role he led efforts to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health from 2005–2012, where he led a comprehensive reform of the country’s health system. All roads lead to universal health coverage for Dr Tedros, and he has demonstrated what it takes to expand access to health care with limited resources. Born in the city of Asmara, Eritrea, Dr Tedros holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London. Dr Tedros is globally recognised as a health scholar, researcher, and diplomat with first-hand experience in research, operations, and leadership in emergency responses to epidemics.

Vinícius Assis has been a journalist since 2004. Brazilian correspondent based in South Africa, since 2018 he covers the continent's current affairs for different Brazilian media outlets, such as GloboNews / TV Globo, BBC Brasil, Época Magazine, Radio France International, O Globo newspaper and #ProjetoColabora. He has been publishing articles on the pandemic since February, when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Africa. Mr. Assis covered main events such as Nelson Mandela's centennial celebrations (2018), BRICS Summit in South Africa (2018), the last South African and Nigerian presidential elections, the visit of Pope Francis to Mozambique and the funeral of the former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, he interviewed the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Denis Mukwege. Mr. Assis also broadcasted directly from Mozambique after the passage of Cyclone Idai last year.