Ahead of its annual meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, the Initiative for Global Development announced on Thursday the appointment of Dr. Mima Nedelcovych as new president and CEO.
Nedelcovych will replace interim chief executive Lisa B. Nelson and is expected to help IGD grow its network of corporate leaders to fight poverty through investment and put an even greater focus on Africa.
A former U.S. representative to the African Development Bank in the early 1990s, the new IGD boss helped galvanize private sector investment in the continent. He has also consulted on investment opportunities in Africa for top development firms like Carana and Abt Associates, served as as country director for the Peace Corps in Gabon, and worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Before joining IGD, Nedelcovych was chairman of Schaffer International, focused on agro-industrial and renewable energy projects in emerging markets in Africa and Latin America.
"I've spent much of my career helping foster trade facilitation and public-private partnerships in Africa because I believe so strongly in the transformative power of private sector initiatives and private investments for Africa's growth and development," Nedelcovych in a statement.
The new IGD chief will engage the organization’s corporate leaders for the first time at the upcoming annual meeting and Frontier 100 Forum on May 5-6, at which Devex recently learned discussions will focus on Power Africa and agribusiness.
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Carlos Santamaria
Carlos is a former associate editor for breaking news in Devex's Manila-based news team. He joined Devex after a decade working for international wire services Reuters, AP, Xinhua, EFE ,and Philippine social news network Rappler in Madrid, Beijing, Manila, New York, and Bangkok. During that time, he also covered natural disasters on the ground in Myanmar and Japan.
