Our Team in Ghana

Angele has over 24 years of experience in strategic and science communication, outreach and advocacy on environment and sustainable development, including 9 years in program management, having consecutively coordinated the UNEP Central Africa programme and the Liaison Office to the AUC, UNECA and Ethiopia. She set up the West Africa Office in April 2015, with a mandate of strengthening UNEP's regional strategic presence and support ECOWAS’ member States, Mauritania and Central Africa in the effective implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Her responsibilities also include mobilizing partnerships within the UN system and with key regional and sub-regional organizations. She coordinates UNEP's liaison with AfDB) ECOWAS and ECCAS.

Mr. Niyi Ojuolape is UNFPA’s Resident Representative. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief of Staff a.i. at the Headquarters in New York, as the Special Assistant to the Executive Director, a position which he held for six and a half years during which he provided specialized technical support to the executive management of the organization and provided strategic support. Mr. Ojuolape has a rich career experience in international development working in the Democratic Republic of Congo as acting Deputy Representative of UNFPA. Before joining UNFPA in 2011, Mr. Ojuolape served the Nigerian Government severally as Special Assistant to the Minister of Health and as the Chief Programme Officer for Donor Coordination in the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA). He holds a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Calabar and a Banking and Finance Degree from Ondo State University in Nigeria.

Ms. Angela Trenton-Mbonde has extensive experience in public health, development and HIV, particularly in the areas of technical collaboration, policy and strategy, and political advocacy. She has been with the UN system for over 30 years and has served with UNAIDS in different capacities in various postings at the country, regional and global levels. She is a champion for women’s empowerment. Ms. Trenton-Mbonde holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Guyana and a Master’s in Health Services Management and Policy from the George Washington University, USA. She has also completed course work for doctorate studies in International Relations at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Geneva, Switzerland.

With 21 years of international professional experience, Ms. Anne-Claire Dufay Demoulin has worked in East Jerusalem and in Bosnia and Herzegovina as UNICEF Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Representative respectively for a total period of 8 years. She also served as UNICEF Chief of Child Protection in Myanmar and East Timor. Before joining the UN, Ms. Dufay worked with local NGOs in Guatemala (Casa Alianza and Proden) in the areas of Child Rights and Protection, and with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. She holds a Post-Master Degree in Public International Law (Diplôme d’Etudes Appliquées en Droit des Relations Economiques Internationales et Communautaires et du Développement), from the Paris X-Nanterre University, France.

Dr. Angela Lusigi is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Ghana since November 2020.
Dr. Lusigi has over 20 years of experience in developing national development strategies, socio-economic analysis, partnerships building, inclusive and sustainable development.

Prior to her appointment, Dr. Lusigi was a Strategic Advisor in the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa in New York. She previously held other senior leadership positions in Africa, including serving as a Regional Program Advisor of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where she developed projects, supervised implementation and led resource mobilization for UNDP/UNEP’s poverty eradication and environment projects in Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. She also served as an Assistant Resident Representative (Strategy and Policy) with UNDP in Nigeria.

Dr. Lusigi has also worked with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, all in Rome, Italy. She has also provided policy support to national programmes and projects in South Africa and Zambia.

Dr. Lusigi is from Kenya and holds Doctoral and Masters’ degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, and a Bachelor's degree (honors) in economics and computer science from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Dr. Fatima Denton is an accomplished senior leader in the UN system with a depth of expertise in natural resource management, research and policy development. Prior to joining UNU-INRA, Dr. Denton had worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as Director of the Natural Resource Management Division and as Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre. She also worked with the Canada based International Development Research Centre (IDRC), where she managed high-impact action research, as an energy scientist with the United Nations Environment Programme Risoe Centre (Denmark) and as an energy programme manager with Enda Tiers Monde (Senegal).

Dr. Denton has written more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and books. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Birmingham (UK).

Ms. Esther Wairimu Kiragu is a Lawyer by profession. She brings to the Ghana operation over 23 years of experience with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Having served in different capacities in different countries in Africa and in Europe, Ms. Kiragu has been actively involved in the search for creative solutions for protracted refugee situations and the promotion of protection for refugees and other forcibly displaced on the continent and in the world. She has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree in Nairobi, Kenya and Master of Laws (LLM) Degree in Auckland New Zealand.

Mr. Azizi Fakhruddin brings to his post a wealth of knowledge spanning for more than 23 years of experience. He is adept in the field of humanitarian and development programmes with different UN agencies including the UNDP and international organizations. Prior to his arrival in Ghana in 2017, Mr. Fakhruddin Azizi worked as UNIDO Representative for the Philippines and in Afghanistan. Mr. Azizi established a new Policy Center at the Kabul University called Center for Policy and Human (CPHD) and was a resource person for UNDP/BCPR (Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery) global network. He holds an M.A in Management and a second M.A. in Management for Sustainable Economic Development.

Ms. Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba is a development specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in public health, development communication, social marketing and advertising. She has multi-disciplinary training in mass communication, international law and diplomacy as well as international health and population studies. Prior to joining the UN in 2018, Ifeoma spent nearly 10 years with ActionAid and held a variety of roles in Nigeria, Haiti, and Senegal where she was ActionAid Country Director. Before that she served as Head of Governance, Policy and Partnerships for WaterAid Nigeria (2005 -2009). Prior to WaterAid, Ifeoma worked for Nigeria’s foremost public health NGO, the Society for Family Health (SFH) and for a leading Nigerian advertising agency in the private sector.

Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo has been with UNESCO since 1994 as a consultant in the field of international business. He comes to the UNESCO Accra Office with vast experience in leadership positions, having previously, served as the Head of Office and Representative of UNESCO in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. Mr. Diallo holds a degree in engineering (1991) from the Ecole des hautes etudes industrielles in Lille, France, and a Master of Business Administration in international business engineering (1994) from the Institut superieur de gestion in Paris, France.

Ms. Vanessa Phala, a South African national, is the Country Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prior to this appointment, she worked as a Senior Specialist (Employers’ Activities) at the ILO Office for the Caribbean, in Port of Spain. Before that, she undertook several leading roles in the public and private sectors from 2004 to 2016. She was the Executive Director in charge of Social and Transformation Policy at Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), a non-profit company representing organised business in South Africa. She also served as the Director of the Ethics and Integrity Management Unit and Special Anti-corruption Unit of the South African Department of Public Service and Administration. Her professional career began in 2004, as an Assistant Director in the Policy Research and Analysis Unit of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Ms. Phala graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2004 where she obtained a Master’s Degree in International Relations and from the University of the West Indies in 2021 where she obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Ms. Rukia Yacoub has over 20 years of experience working with a number of UN agencies including FAO, UNICEF. She was with WFP in Yemen, Egypt, Sudan and Algeria. Prior to joining the UN, Ms. Yacoub worked with MSF-Holland based in Rwanda. Ms. Yacoub has years of experience in crisis management, coordination and partnership building working in crisis areas and disaster relief environment. She has an MSc in Human from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.

Mr. Elsadani Salem is a development professional with deep experience in rural development, agriculture, irrigation, drainage and water resources management. He has over 15 years of experience working with the World Bank, the African Development Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Kenya and as Head of IFAD in Sudan. Mr. El Sadani Salem has proven track record project development; portfolio management; sectoral and country strategy development; and policy dialogue. He has hands on experience in engagement with stakeholders; developing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs); Community Development, Conflict Resolution; Climate Change; Rural Finance; Development of Rural Enterprises; Mr. Elsadani Salem holds PhD in Soil and Water Management.