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.

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.

Ms. Barbara Clemens has over 30 years of progressive experience in multi-functional roles in humanitarian and development programmes around the world.
In Ghana, Ms Clemens is leading WFP to facilitate programmes which improve food systems, nutrition, social protection and emergency preparedness and response, through impact investment and strategic partnerships which are being leveraged to transfer knowledge and strengthen the capacity of national institutions.

She joined WFP Ghana from Nigeria where she was the Head of Programme for one of the agency’s largest emergency operations. She played a pivotal role in cultivating and strengthening partnerships with the Federal Government at the national, subnational and community levels, working to ensure sustainability of food security and nutrition interventions.

Ms. Clemens was once WFP Deputy Country Director in Bangladesh, Head of Support Services in Jordan, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, in addition to roles in Sudan and Italy. She is credited with writing WFP’s directive on the scaled use of cash-based transfers in field operations.

Prior to joining WFP, she worked in the banking, finance and business assurance sectors with JPMorgan Chase Bank and Ernst & Young.

Barbara has a Masters’ in Business and Finance, Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and an Associates in Money and Banking.

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.

Mr. Hector Sucilla Perez has 20 years of professional experience in public health, public policy, health and public management, HIV response, health governance, academy and research.

He joined UNAIDS in June 2014. Prior to his appointment to Ghana, he served as UNAIDS Country Director in Guatemala,
Multi-Country Office Director a.i. for Honduras and Nicaragua, and as Strategic Information Adviser for the mentioned Central American countries.

Mr. Sucilla Perez served the Federal Government of Mexico for more than six years in the National Center for the Prevention and Control of the HIV/AIDS, performing most of his time as Director of Operations, Research. He has represented his country of origin and the region of Latin America and the Caribbean in different high-level governance instances such as on the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board, the Global Fund Board, the United Nations
General Assembly Special Sessions on HIV/AIDS and the Technical Cooperation Group of HIV/AIDS Programmes of Latin America and the Caribbean. He also collaborated in the General Directorate for the Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS (DIGECITSS) in the Dominican Republic.

Mr. Sucilla Perez graduated as Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemist from the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and has a Master degree in Health Management and Direction of the National Institute of Public Health-Mexico (INSP).

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.

Mr. Yisa, Barnabas has over 35 years of working experience in education, communication, advocacy, and development as well as humanitarian response at national and international levels. He was a lecturer at College of Education Minna and part-time lecturer at Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria. He worked as the Chief Education Research Officer & Head of Population Education Department, Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council, Nigeria. In 1990 Mr. Yisa joined UNESCO as Chief Technical Advisor for Population Family Life Education, in Sierra Leone and then as Africa Regional Population Education Adviser based in Ethiopia. Thereafter, he worked as Regional Behaviour Change Communication and Advocacy Adviser, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), New York.
Mr. Yisa has served in the capacity as UNFPA Representative in the Republic of Sierra Leone, The State of Eritrea, the Republic of South Sudan, and as UNFPA Representative a.i. in Tanzania and South Africa respectively.
Mr. Yisa retired from international service and is now based in Abuja, Nigeria as an independent consultant in population and development, and programme management. Currently, he is UNFPA Representative a.i in Ghana. His educational qualifications include BA Education from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, MSc Population Studies from University of Jos, Nigeria and MA Theology of leadership and Ministry from University of Roehampton, United Kingdom.

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.

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.