Makhtar Diop is IFC’s Managing Director.
He assumed this position on March 1st, 2021. Prior to this appointment, he was the World Bank’s Vice President for Infrastructure, where he led the Bank’s global efforts to build sustainable infrastructure in developing and emerging economies. In this role, he oversaw the Bank’s critical work in energy, transport, digital infrastructure, and public-private partnerships.
A recognized opinion leader in the economic and social development field, Makhtar Diop has been named one of the 100 most influential Africans in the world. In 2015, he received the prestigious Regents’ Lectureship Award from the University of California, Berkeley.
Mr. Diop holds degrees in economics from the Universities of Warwick and Nottingham in England.
Alena Dique is a business consultant and corporate trainer under the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in Oman. Alena is also the founder of Oman’s first Sustainable Collaboration platform focused on Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging (DEIB). She has worked with various GCC organizations to promote digital inclusion and been recognized as a National Game changer for Youth Leadership and Sustainability.
Alena is a Corporate Educator and Business Strategist on topics related to Sustainability, ESG Policy and MSME Innovation. She is a finalist of the prestigious Women in Tech Awards Middle East in the category of Young Leader of the Year. Alena has been a speaker at the United Nations in Geneva and New York as well as TedX on Independent Intelligence, the author of ‘Sustainable Governance and ESG Policy’ approved by Ministry of Information Oman and has received 7 titles in Oman for her work towards Youth, UN Agenda 2030 and Oman Vision 2040.
Alena currently stands amongst the Top 5 Young women leaders and Top 100 successful women in Oman.
Kristi Disney Bruckner is an attorney with over 20 years of experience working on complex law and policy issues with governments, communities, companies, and multi-stakeholder initiatives. She is Law and Policy Director at the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) where she works with governments, civil society, Indigenous rights holders, workers, and companies to use IRMA’s best practice standards as a tool to improve mining sector governance and responsible sourcing, including for materials needed for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and other low-carbon technologies. She has represented IRMA at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, at the UN Environmental Assembly, and on the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
Her experience includes over a decade of leadership at Sustainable Development Strategies Group, working to align management of renewable energy and natural resources with sustainable development objectives. She has worked with government, community, and industry stakeholders around the world to review and improve law and policy frameworks; build capacity to negotiate and manage natural resource contracts and company-community agreements; and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her work has included research and co-authorship of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) validation reports for 16 countries, review of mining law and policies of over 70 jurisdictions, and review of community development requirements for the mining sector in over 50 countries. She has also worked with the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) to complete Mining Policy Framework Assessments, capacity building seminars, and guidance for IGF Members, including guidance on improving environmental and social impact assessment and management for the mining sector.
She is an adjunct professor of climate change law, sustainable development and international trade, and community engagement courses at law schools in Colorado and Arizona.
Iraldo Luis DJAO is economist and head of the Division for the Application of International Conventions at the Service of Economic Actions, Direction of legislation and value of the Direction General of Customs.
Just after his Master in Applied Economics in 2014, at the Omar Bongo University of Libreville, he joined a research and opinion polling firm where he worked as a consultant in charge of qualitative and quantitative studies.
In 2018, he joined the Customs Administration after a one-year training in the profession. In 2019, he joined the National Committee for Trade Facilitation, as a Member of the Secretariat.
As a member of the NTFC and at the same time at the Customs, he contributes to the coordination of trade facilitation measures with customs missions while ensuring compliance with the standards and procedures in force under the modernization program of the Malagasy Customs.
Finally, since 2020, Iraldo is leading the Consultation Framework project within the Customs to set up a permanent consultative dialogue framework bringing together all the stakeholders related to customs.
Siyabonga Dlamini is a Spoken Word Artist, affectionately known as ‘the Silent Writer’, is an MTN SWAMA award winning poet, writer, blogger, voiceover artist, and creative based in Eswatini who covers every subject matter through written and spoken word poetry wrapped in soothing Afrocentric rhythms.
Siyabonga writings often beam the light on feminism, environmental advocacy, and human rights, among other socioeconomic issues. He is the founding director of The Mic’dEmotions, a globally acclaimed online arts community movement aimed at uniting artists and art lovers and connecting artists from across the world. In 2017, he was awarded first prize in the Macmillan Poetry Competition, and he received the SWAMA award for Best Online Presentation in the poetry category in 2020.
Siyabonga has performed on numerous stages throughout Africa, including the Standard Bank Luju Festival, the Vrystaat Arts Festival, and Matopo Land, Bulawayo.
Khetsiwe Dlamini is the Senior Trade Policy Analyst in the International Trade Department, under the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Trade.
Ms Dlamini is part of the Secretariat that serves the National Trade Facilitation Committee in the Kingdom of Eswatini. She has been part of the coordination of the work on Trade Facilitation in Eswatini since the conclusion of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. She participated in the establishment of the National Trade Facilitation Committee by Government Gazette, managing the development of Eswatini Trade Information Portal. She has also seen the development of two Trade Facilitation Roadmaps the latest of which was developed with support from UNCTAD.
Ms Dlamini has represented Eswatini during the negotiations of the Agreement establishing the AfCFT and has represented the country in negotiations of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
Ms Dlamini holds a Masters in International Trade and Development obtained from the Adelaide University in Australia.
Hoa Doan is a climate policy expert with experience in consulting, public sectors (NHS and No10 Downing Street) and entrepreneurship.
She was a Net Zero policy advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office at No10, overseeing the delivery of decarbonisation programs across the building and transport sectors. Hoa was shortlisted for the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Social Impact category for her contribution to the UK climate policy agenda.
She is currently the Head of Impact and Sustainability at Notpla, an UK-startup that recently won The Earthshot Prize for its plastic-free consumer packaging products made from seaweed and plants.
Hoa is a climate policy expert with experience in consulting, public sectors (NHS and No10 Downing Street) and entrepreneurship. She was a Net Zero policy advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office at No10, overseeing the delivery of decarbonisation programs across the building and transport sectors.
Hoa was shortlisted for the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Social Impact category for her contribution to the UK climate policy agenda.
She is currently the Head of Impact and Sustainability at Notpla, an UK-startup that recently won The Earthshot Prize for its plastic-free consumer packaging products made from seaweed and plants.
Ms. Oluranti Doherty is Managing Director, Export Development Division at African Export Import Bank (the “Bank”). In her current role, she oversees the Bank’s products programmes and initiatives that support long-term financing interventions to facilitate the development of projects in light and heavy manufacturing, agro-processing, extractives, trade enabling infrastructure, hospitality and healthcare sectors.
She has over 22 years’ work experience that cuts across financial advisory, project finance, project development, credit analysis and structuring. Ms. Doherty is an alumnus of the IMD Business School, Lausanne, Switzerland; University of Leicester, United Kingdom; and Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).