The African Development Bank Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Moono Mupotola as Deputy Director General for the Southern Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office, effective from 16th October 2024.
Mrs. Moono Mupotola, a Zambian national, brings over 25 years of development experience across Africa to her new role, with a proven track record in infrastructure development, trade and regional integration.
Prior to this appointment, Mrs. Mupotola served as the Bank's Country Manager for Zimbabwe since December 2020. During her tenure, she played an instrumental role in the Bank's support to Zimbabwe in its re-engagement agenda with the international community and in its efforts to address outstanding debt and arrears obligations.
Mrs. Mupotola's experience with the Bank began in 2009, when she was appointed Division Manager, Regional Integration and Trade. She was appointed as Director of NEPAD, Regional Integration & Trade in 2015, and Director of Regional Integration Coordination Office in 2018.
Her oversight of the Lusophone Compact, a program that supports private sector in six Portugues-speaking Africa countries, demonstrated Mrs. Mupotola's commitment to advancing regional integration. She also initiated the Bank's Africa Trade Fund, the Visa Openness Index, and the Regional Integration Index with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission. She managed the African Development Fund's Regional Operations Envelope and oversaw the Bank's regional project preparation facility.
Mrs. Mupotola led the Bank's trade and regional integration agenda by supporting research, infrastructure projects, capacity-building programmes and the reform of regulations and policies in regional member countries.
Before joining the African Development Bank Group, Mrs. Mupotola held several senior positions, including Regional Policy Specialist for the Food and Agriculture Organization in Zimbabwe, Trade Specialist at the Southern African Development Community Trade Hub in Botswana and Zimbabwe. She served as the Division Head of Trade and Marketing at the Ministry of Agriculture in Namibia. She also served as a Researcher at the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit and a Banker at Zambia National Commercial Bank.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Bennington College, Vermont, United States of America and a MPhil of Philosophy from Cambridge University, United Kingdom and post-graduate qualifications in leadership and strategic management from the Wharton Business School, USA, and the Cranfield Business School, United Kingdom.
Commenting on her appointment, Mrs. Mupotola said: "I am deeply honoured by this opportunity and grateful to President Adesina for his trust and confidence in me. The role of Deputy Director General for the Southern Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office, is challenging and exciting. I look forward to working efficiently with our teams and stakeholders to deliver on the African Development Bank's vision and High 5 priorities for sustainable development".
Commenting on the appointment, the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina said: "I am delighted to appoint Mrs. Moono Mupotola as Deputy Director General for the Southern Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office. Moono has extensive experience in regional operations, having served previously as Director of Regional Operations. She was subsequently assigned to Zimbabwe as Country Manager. Moono has demonstrated exceptional leadership, diplomatic acumen and strong execution capacity in working with the Government of Zimbabwe and all the development partners in advancing the structured dialogues for the arrears clearance for Zimbabwe, as well as major reforms. Her astute leadership and experience and in-depth knowledge of the countries in the Southern Africa region will significantly advance the work and partnerships of the African Development Bank Group in the region".
