The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced the appointments of Kevin Chika Urama and Maria Mulindi as advisors to the Bank's President, Akinwumi Adesina.
In announcements released on Sunday, February 14, 2016, the Bank's Human Resources Department said that Urama has been Appointed Senior Policy Advisor to the President on Inclusive and Green Growth, while Mulindi will serve as Senior Advisor, Civil Society and Community Based Organizations.
As Senior Policy Advisor on Inclusive and Green Growth, Urama, a British national, will advise the President on strategy, policy development and implementation of activities to achieve inclusive and green growth in Africa.
His responsibility also includes guiding and supporting Bank-wide efforts on energy, climate change, agriculture and natural resources management. He will also provide technical advice to the Bank's Senior Management Coordination Committee and ensure cross-complex coordination and alignment of activities to deliver on the High 5 priorities of the Bank to accelerate delivery on the ground in countries and across regions.
Urama has worked as a Senior Consultant for the African Development Bank since June 2015, advising the President as a member of the Bank's Transition Management Team. He joined the Bank from Switzerland, where he was the inaugural Managing Director of the Quantum Global Research Lab.
A seasoned development economist with extensive Africa-wide and global experience in inclusive green growth and sustainable development, Urama holds a First Class Honors degree and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a Master of Philosophy degree with distinction and a Ph.D. in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge, UK. He received the 2002/2003 James Claydon Prize for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in economics or related subjects at St. Edmund's College, University of Cambridge, among many other distinctions.
His appointment took effect from January 13, 2016.
Mulindi, a Kenyan national, is a proactive, result-oriented professional with over 20 years of experience in the coordination and management of development projects for reducing poverty, promoting gender and community inclusiveness and food security in Africa.
As Senior Advisor, Civil Society and Community Based Organizations, Mulindi's main responsibility will be coordinating the implementation of the Bank's Framework for Enhanced Engagement and the execution of an action plan. This will include advising the President on support required for the revision of policies, strategies and programming regarding the engagement of Civil Society Organizations and Community Based Organizations, including building wider engagements of civil society and communities in programs, policies and activities of the Bank, for greater inclusiveness and people-oriented delivery and accountability.
She served as Advisor, Management and Operations, to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria, under support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme.
She was a Programme Officer for Policy, Partnerships and Civil Society at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and before that she was Senior Consultant for Johns Hopkins University Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (Jhpiego) in Women's Nutrition and Reproductive Health Communication and most recently Senior Consultant for Strategic Management and Advisor to the President, African Development Bank Group.
Mulindi holds a Master's Degree in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Brunel University, London. She has had an illustrious career, with a diverse range of private and public sector expertise, working on programmes for enhancing gender inclusiveness, building civil society and community engagements in development activities.
Her appointment took effect from January 11, 2016.
