Margaret Agama-Anyetei plays a leading role in the development of programmes and policies related to population, health and nutrition at the continental level, and oversees their implementation within the 54 member states of the African Union. She has more than 15 years of experience in the field of health and development, having previously worked –among other senior positions- for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as Resident Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and as Technical Advisor, where she focused on the fight against HIV and AIDS and helped African countries and regional organisations realise the Millennium Development Goals.

As State Minister for Investment and Privatisation in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Evelyn Anite is a key player in the economic development of Uganda, overseeing an important effort by the government to support private sector growth and investments to achieve infrastructural, industrial and agricultural development. The country has attracted some of the highest levels of foreign direct investment in the East Africa Community region over the past five years. She won the parliamentary seat of Youth Representative for Northern Uganda in 2011 and was the State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs prior to her current appointment.

In his current position, Olivier De Boysson is responsible for the analysis of developing economies and particularly for country-based risk assessments to inform the investment and credit policy of Société Générale. The group, one of the biggest bank and financial services organisation in Europe, is active in a number of African fragile and conflict-affected states, including Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Mauritania. Olivier de Boysson is also the Deputy Director for Economic Studies in Société Générale’s Risk Department, responsible for macroeconomic projections and macro financial risk analysis, and lectures in country risk analysis at Sciences Po Paris.

Leymah Gbowee is an internationally-recognised peace activist, social worker and women’s rights advocate. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work in leading a women’s peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, and continues to be a relentless advocate of the cause of women, raising awareness of the devastating effects of war and gender-based violence and campaigning for women’s inclusion in conflict-resolution and peacebuilding processes. She is the Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, which provides educational and leadership opportunities to girls, women and young people in West Africa. She also co-founded the Women Peace and Security Network Africa and is a member of the PeaceJam Foundation, an international organisation committed to breaking the cycle of violence.

Neil Gregory is a leading voice on the role of private enterprise in economic development and the financing of private investment in emerging markets. As Head of Thought Leadership at IFC, the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries, he is responsible for the provision of fresh and innovative ideas to reduce global poverty. He has extensive experience in strategy and investment operations, having previously served as IFC’s Chief Strategy Officer for Investment Operations, Chief of Strategy and Operations for the World Bank Group’s Financial and Private Sector Development Network and Advisor to the UK Executive Director of the IMF.

Hiroshi Hiraoka is an expert on agricultural development in Africa. In his current position as Senior Advisor at JICA, the Japanese cooperation and development agency, he is contributing to the promotion of agricultural and economic development on a global scale. He was previously the Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Coalition for African Rice Development, assisting the development of the rice sector in Africa, and also worked at the World Bank where he was Senior Agriculture Economist in charge of rice, nutrition and value chain development.

Caroline Kawira is the food security expert of the ACP YPN, which provides a platform for young professionals and diaspora from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific to play an active role in policymaking processes at the national, regional and international levels. She has extensive experience in the field of agriculture development, having worked at the International Potato Centre of Nairobi, a research institution creating sustainable, global solutions to solve world hunger and poverty, as well as at several other international humanitarian organisations. She studied in Kenya, where she is a registered member of the Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute, and in Belgium, where she graduated with a masters’ degree in Science in Nutrition and Rural Development from Ghent University.

Elected mayor of Bangangté in 2007, Celestine Ketcha Courtes’ great contribution to the development of the town was recognised by the United Nations in 2014, when she received the Public Service Award for a project aimed at providing drinking water to all inhabitants of the city and surrounding villages, improving the living conditions of more than 150,000 people. She is also a key advocate of women political engagement in Africa, currently serving as the President of the Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa, which brings together women elected in local government positions.

Kanayo F. Nwanze has over 30 years’ experience in improving the livelihoods of poor rural communities, having most recently served as President of IFAD, the specialised United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries.

Hans-Joachim Preuß has been Managing Director and Member of the Management Board of GIZ since 2011. GIZ, the German development agency, leads on more than 450 projects in Africa in a variety of sectors, including in conflict prevention and resolution, peace and security. Hans-Joachim Preuß previously served as Secretary-General and Managing Director of Welthungerhilfe, one of the largest private aid organisations in Germany which has set itself the goal of banishing famine and poverty from the world. He has published extensively on rural development, global food supplies and fragile statehood. He is also a Member of the Management Board of the German-African Business Association and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Aid by Trade Foundation, amongst other positions.

Antonella Santilli joined Enel, a global power company, in 2004 and worked in international coordination in the field of External Relations for Enel Green Power Chile and Andean Countries before her current appointment as Head of Sustainability at Enel Green Power, Enel’s renewable division. Enel Green Power is the largest independent power producer in Africa, active in South Africa, Morocco, Kenya and Zambia, among other coutries. Antonella Santilli’s prior experience includes senior positions at Ketchum PR, Hill & Knowlton and Wind Spa.

Vimal Shah is one of Kenya and East Africa’s most successful businessmen and leads Bidco Africa, the largest manufacturer of edible oils in East and Central Africa, present in over 18 countries. As Chairman, Vimal Shah is responsible for the company’s growth into new markets and new products development. He has received a number of awards for his contribution to the growth of entrepreneurship in Kenya, including the East African Entrepreneur of the Year award of the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA), and CEO of the Year award of the Kenya Institute of Management. He has also been awarded the “First Class: Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear”, the highest national honour for a private citizen in Kenya, in recognition of his contribution to the national development.

With more than 20 years of experience at the European Investment Bank (EIB), Diedrick Zambon previously served as the Head of the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Division, and was also responsible for setting up the Bank’s External Office in Tunisia in 2005. The EIB has over 50 years’ expertise in supporting EU development policies in Africa, with around €25bn invested in over 1,200 projects. Its overriding aim in the region is to help generate long-term private sector-led sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty through job creation and improved access to productive resources. It also supports public sector infrastructure projects that are vital to underpin private sector development and create a thriving business environment. Before joining the EIB, Diedrick Zambon worked for a major European commercial bank.