U.S.-Africa: emPOWERing West African Energy Solutions

Alice P. Albright is the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation where she provides strategic leadership and vision to the agency helping deliver on programmatic priorities. Ms. Albright has more than 30 years of international experience in the private, non-profit and public sectors.

Prior to MCC, Ms. Albright served as the CEO of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). As a political appointee of the Obama Administration, between 2009 and 2013, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). Beforehand, she was the Chief Financial and Investment Officer for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI). Prior to working in international development and government, Ms. Albright was a banker focusing on emerging markets, working principally at J.P. Morgan.

Ms. Albright has served on two G7 Gender Equality Advisory Councils, appointed first by the President of France for the 2019 G7 and subsequently by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the 2021 G7. Additionally, she has served on the Boards of Williams College and Mercersburg Academy.

Ms. Albright received her MIA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and her BA from Williams College. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly is currently the Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, serving in this role since April 19, 2022. Previously he was the Minister of Agriculture of Côte d'Ivoire from February 2010 to September 2019.

Before becoming a Minister, Mr. Sangafowa-Coulibaly was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Minister of Agriculture from 2003 to 2010 while being the Government Commissioner within FIRCA – (Interprofessional Fund for Agricultural Research and Counselling), Chairman of the Management Committee of the Institut National de Formation Agricole (INFPA - the National Institute for Agricultural Training), Director of the Centre de Démonstration et de Promotion de Technologie (DDT the Center of Demonstration and Promotion of Technology) and the Fund of Regulation and Control of coffee-cocoa.

Before working for the state of Côte d'Ivoire, he created his own business in 1992 and he specialized in exporting agricultural products. That experience earned him, among others, the "prize for the best mango brand" awarded by the Liaison Committee Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (COLEACP). At the last international fair of agriculture of Paris, in February 2017, Minister Coulibaly was named Commander in the Order of French Agricultural Merit by his colleague the Minister Stéphane Le Foll, Minister of Agriculture, Agro-Industry and Forestry. His country raised him also to the rank of Officer in the National Order and Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit. He has been a member of the ruling party since its creation in 1994. He has held several positions of responsibility. He was elected deputy of his hometown Kohrogo in 2011 and reelected in 2016 for five years.

Married, he is the father of four children and holds a Master of Science (M.S.) from the University of Abidjan and he also completed graduate studies in Accounting and Financial Techniques at Institut National Supérieur de l’Enseignement Technique of Yamoussoukro (INSET the Higher National Institute of Vocational Education of Yamoussoukro).

Modou K. Ceesay was appointed Chief of Staff in May 2022. Prior to his appointment he served as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. Ceesay is an experienced and seasoned civil servant. He started his career at The Ministry of Finance, rising to the rank of Permanent Secretary. Ceesay was also permanent secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Ministry Of Petroleum and Energy. He briefly moved to the private sector in 2015, working as consultant from 2015 to 2017.

Deputy Administrator Coleman is responsible for USAID’s policy and programming, overseeing the Agency’s Regional and Pillar Bureaus. As Deputy Administrator, she guides USAID’s crisis response, including representing USAID on the Deputies Committee of the National Security Council, and oversees Agency efforts to promote food security, global health, democracy, and economic growth, and address the root causes of conflict.

Ambassador Coleman previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management, Reform and Special Political Affairs. She was formerly a partner with McKinsey, the Chief Operating Officer of GiveDirectly, and spent more than a decade as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a graduate of Princeton University and received her MPhil and DPhil degrees from Oxford University, which she attended on a Marshall Scholarship.

Abdulkadir Nazif is a seasoned electrical engineer and energy sector expert with over two decades of experience in power systems planning, transmission, and regional energy integration. Currently serving as the Director of the Information and Coordination Centre at the West African Power Pool (WAPP) Secretariat in Cotonou, Mr. Nazif plays a pivotal role in shaping the energy landscape of West Africa.

In his current position, which he has held since November 2017, Mr. Nazif leads the development and implementation of WAPP's long-term plans and strategies. Notably, he serves as the technical lead responsible for implementing the Regional Market Roadmap, a crucial initiative for advancing energy integration and trade across West Africa. This role places him at the forefront of efforts to create a unified, efficient, and sustainable regional electricity market.

Mr. Nazif is working towards establishing reliable operations for the WAPP bulk power transmission system and is leading efforts to analyze the economic and technical viability of electricity trading in the region. His ongoing work is aimed at facilitating cross-border energy cooperation and laying the groundwork for enhanced power supply reliability across West African nations as the regional market moves towards full operationalization.

Prior to joining WAPP, Mr. Nazif held key positions at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), including Assistant General Manager for Expansion Planning and Technical Assistant to the MD/CEO. His work in power system planning, network expansion, and grid reinforcement contributed to the ongoing development of Nigeria's transmission infrastructure.

Mr. Nazif's educational background includes a Master of Engineering (Electrical) from Bayero University Kano and a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He has further enriched his expertise through numerous specialized training programs, including courses on economic regulation, electricity tariffs, ancillary services markets, and power system stability and control.

With his comprehensive understanding of West African energy systems, expertise in power pool operations, and leadership in regional energy integration initiatives, Abdulkadir Nazif brings invaluable insights to discussions on West Africa's energy solutions and the future of the region's power sector.

On a personal note, Mr. Nazif is a devout Muslim and a family man, married with six children.

Ms. British A. Robinson serves as the Coordinator for Prosper Africa, a U.S. Presidential, national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership with African countries. She collaborates closely with the White House National Security Council and 17 U.S. federal agencies to forge partnerships with businesses, investors and government leaders.

Robinson is a visionary leader with decades of experience in public-private partnerships, social impact investing, corporate social responsibility, global public health, education, and government policy. She launched her career at Citibank in retail banking and private wealth. For more than a decade she worked with the U.S. Jesuit Conference as National Director of the Office of Social and International Ministries, where she managed their socially responsible investing program.

Robinson began her career in government at the U.S. Department of State working on the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as Deputy Coordinator/Director of Private Sector Engagement, where she oversaw public-private partnerships to strengthen the world’s largest global health program addressing HIV/AIDS. She recently served as President & CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

In 2022, Robinson was recognized for her distinguished career by Forbes’ 50 Over 50 for Impact – a list of entrepreneurs and changemakers helping to make the world a better, more equitable place. She holds a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University, a bachelor’s degree in public policy and business administration from George Washington University, an honorary doctorate from Fairfield University, and an honorary doctorate in international affairs from the American University.

Richard oversees the U.S. government’s decade long initiative to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. With over 200 partners from the private sector, African countries, other donor nations, and multilateral institutions, Power Africa is one of the largest public-private initiatives in existence and collectively is transforming the face of Africa.

Richard joined Power Africa after serving as the Mission Director for USAID/Uganda. In that role, he oversaw an expansive assistance portfolio encompassing health (HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, reproductive health, infectious diseases), economic growth, education, democracy/governance, and humanitarian programs. Prior to Uganda he was the Deputy Coordinator for Power Africa based in South Africa, supporting the initiative’s work directly on the continent. Before that, Richard was a USAID legal officer based in Pretoria, Bangkok, Baghdad and Washington, D.C. where he supported USAID numerous USAID missions working to advance the Agency’s development objectives.

Prior to joining USAID as a Foreign Service Officer, Richard worked at Dell Inc in Austin, Texas, where he helped lead global site selection efforts as well as Dell’s corporate social responsibility activity in India. Before joining Dell, he was a Vice President at Wachovia Securities, an investment bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he managed a $1B portfolio of syndicated credit in the aerospace, health and government contracting sectors. Prior to joining the bank he was an attorney with McGuireWoods, a major US law firm, where he primarily focused on capital markets debt transactions.

Richard is a graduate of Harvard Law School (JD ’98) and Brigham Young University (BA ’95). He and his wife, Diana, have three daughters.

Yvonne Ike is a managing director and head of sub-Saharan Africa (Ex-RSA) at Bank of America. Since joining in September 2014, Yvonne has established the Bank as a leader in providing international financial services in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Yvonne is an executive sponsor of BofAML Inter-Generational (iGEN) Employee Network which provides a platform for young talent to network, improve their broader understanding of the banking sector and navigate their career opportunities within the bank. She is also a sponsor of the Africa Recruitment Programme.

Yvonne has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services sector, including capital markets and fixed income, derivatives and equities products. Over the course of her career, Yvonne has led senior teams in New York, Geneva, Hong Kong, Nigeria and South Africa.

Prior to joining Bank of America, Yvonne was chief executive officer of West Africa at Renaissance Capital, where she was responsible for the firm’s West Africa franchise covering Investment Banking and Securities Trading. Prior to that, Yvonne worked in Investment Banking and Asset Management at JP Morgan, and was a partner at AfriCapital Management Limited. Yvonne started her career as an auditor with Ernst and Young International.

Yvonne is a trustee of The Bridge Leadership Academy, Christopher Kolade Foundation and The Dangote Foundation. She is passionate about actively contributing to Africa’s development and is involved in several initiatives, including African Gifted Foundation and Women for Women International. In 2015, Yvonne served as a Global Ambassador with the Global Ambassadors Program.

Yvonne has received many international awards, including recognition by the Queen of England as one of the top 200 businesswomen in the UK to make a significant impact in society during 2007.