Key skills and expertise

Bringing over a decade of experience, the expert excels in international development with a focus on financial structuring, investment facilitation, and project management. Key skills include financial analysis, stakeholder management, and impact investing. Career highlights include leading initiatives with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and local businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, achieving significant fundraising results, such as securing multi-million euro investments. Responsibilities have included roles such as Fundraising Manager at La Laiterie du Berger and Investment Officer at BIO-INVEST, where project design, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement were key tasks, delivering quantifiable results aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Project experience and donor exposure

The expert has collaborated with international donors including the MasterCard Foundation, USAID, and the Gates Foundation. Experience encompasses project implementation, fundraising, and capacity building in sectors such as agriculture, health, and infrastructure. Projects have been both regional and sector-specific, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast. The expert has supported initiatives aligned with the UN's SDGs and the EU Global Gateway Strategy.

Sectors and geographic focus

Worked across diverse sectors including finance, agriculture, rural development, and infrastructure. Previously held roles such as Fundraising Manager, Investment Officer, and Freelance Consultant, focusing on project implementation, financial structuring, and stakeholder engagement. The expert possesses interdisciplinary knowledge, such as digitalization in agriculture and infrastructure development in rural areas. The geographic scope of work has predominantly focused on Sub-Saharan Africa, with significant projects in countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast, supporting sustainable development and private sector growth. Extensive geographic experience includes long-term assignments and recurring involvement in regional development projects in countries such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This experience also extends to Belgium and Qatar, complementing the expert's international portfolio.

Languages and education

With a background in language proficiency, the expert is fluent in English and French at a C2 level and has basic proficiency in Dutch at an A2 level. These language skills have been utilized in various professional contexts, including in-country work across Sub-Saharan Africa and collaboration within multilingual teams, supporting effective communication and project management in international development settings. The expert holds a Master in International Management with a minor in Finance from ICHEC Brussels Business School, Belgium, completed in 2014, and a Bachelor in Business Administration from the same institution, completed in 2012. The educational experience included student exchanges at USEK University in Kaslik, Lebanon, and Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary.