Lotfi Kourdali

An accomplished manager and technical expert with more than 12 years of experience in sustainable economic development, market assessment, finance & investment, government reforms, and project management. For eight years, I have provided excellent leadership on numerous large USAID- funded multimillion dollar projects. I have worked in eight countries with various communities and stakeholders, from the government and the private sector in Africa, and the Middle East and I combine broad expertise and deep understanding of the development context. I currently serve as the Program Manager for the USAID funded West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (Trade Hub) project in Cote d’Ivoire, focusing on strengthening the agricultural framework of five value chains, by promoting regional and global trade, enhancing access to finance & investment and improving the business enabling environment. I manage the five million dollar budget to provide capacity building to producers, processers, and exporters, technical support to SMEs and financial institutions to improve access to finance and investment, grant disbursement to public partners, and seller/international buyer linkages. The Trade Hub has generated over $15 million in investment, and $18 million in business sales of agricultural products. I have a recognized leadership and collaborative management style, a solid academic background, and on the ground practical experience in agriculture, trade facilitation, finance and investment, and capacity building. I hold an MBA in Finance and strategy, and a BS in economics development. I am fluent in English, French, and Arabic, and have lived and worked in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Qatar, Haiti, and Tanzania.