Advisory Board
Bakary Bunja Dabo
Diplomat, lawyer, International Civil Servant and former Vice PresidentHis Excellency Mr Bakary Dabo is a statesman of Gambian origin.
He is a trained barrister who has had a long career, working in his country as senior state administration executive, banker,
diplomat and political leader before turning an international civil servant and, latterly, an
independent consultant. Over a period that spanned some 40 years, Mr Dabo first worked
essentially in public sector management at very senior levels; he worked as a technocrat before
serving successively as ambassador, state Minister, and 10 years as Vice President of the
Republic of The Gambia. From that point, he moved on to join the service of the United Nations
in the position of Senior Political Advisor, for ten years he handled senior responsibilities and
functions of diplomatic, representational as well as negotiation and mediation nature. Following
his retirement from the UN in 2009, he took on consultancy assignments in the fields of public
policy, governance and conflict resolution.
His work, which took him to most parts of the world and afforded him the opportunity to sit on
major regional and international policy-making councils, earned him a sound understanding of
contemporary political, economic and development issues and challenges, especially as they
arise within third world contexts.
This distinguished career, together with accumulated experience and demonstrated leadership
qualities, was underpinned by broad-based education (liberal arts, law, economics) and
professional training (international relations, economic policy, finance and banking). After
earning his Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Mr
Dabo underwent polyvalent professional training, successfully completing courses in fields as
varied as International Relations, Law, Economics, Finance and Banking. He earned his law
qualifications in the UK, with a post-graduate diploma from Nottingham University and
admission, at the Lincoln’s Inn, to the Bar of England and Wales, following successful completion
of the Bar Vocational Course set by the Inns of Court in London.
Mustapha Njie
Resource Person for Property Development in AfricaMr. Mustapha Njie is one of Africa’s most successful property developers.
Mr. Njie’s Group, Taf Africa Homes, is present in African countries: (The Gambia (his home), Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Coted’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Mozambique, Togo and Rwanda). The Groups partners include the Rivers State Government (Nigeria), SVA Architects (South Africa) and Reid Steel Structural Engineers (UK). In Nigeria alone, the Group is the construction or negotiation of properties with total worth of about $700 million. Mr. Njie has more than 30 years’ experience in property development. He is well known in international property development circles and has won many national (Gambian) and international awards, such as The Gambian Businessman of the Year (1993 and 2006), African SMME in Construction (2004), ECOWAS Honourable Businessman (2010) and European Council for Global Business (1998).
Rui Duarte Barros
Former Prime Minister, Computer Scientist and Public Policy SpecialistHis Excellency Rui Duarte Barros was Prime Minister of the Republic of
Guinea-Bissau from 2014-2016 at the Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia. He had served at the Gambia National Petroleum Company (GNPC) as an Assistant Petroleum Engineer. He was later designated as Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) engineer in the same company (2008-2011). In early 2011, he was fortunate to receive HSE industrial practical training at Venezuela’s national petroleum company (PDVSA).
He has a Bachelor’s Degree (B.Sc) in Material and Mineral Resources Engineering (Petroleum program) from the National Taipei University of Technology (Taiwan) (2008). In 2011, he was awarded the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)’s Masters scholarship to pursue his Master’s Degree (MSc) in Environmental Engineering at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Upon completing his M.Sc programme in 2013, he received an award from the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) in the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia to undertake a Ph.D degree in the field of Green Engineering at the Institute of Advance Technology (ITMA), UPM, which he completed in 2015. His main research interests are: (1) Polymer Engineering (Biodegradable Polymers, Biopolymers, Polymer composites, Polymer-gels); (2) Environmental Engineering (Water and wastewater treatment; Utilization of Agricultural wastes); (3) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); (4) Material Engineering (Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites, Biocomposites, Cellulose materials, Nano-composites); (5) Materials Selection (Expert systems); and (6) Design for sustainability. Dr. Sanyang has published more than 10 journal articles in international journals, authored or co-authored 7 book chapters and 1 monograph.
Dr. Mthuli Ncube
Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Republic of ZimbabweA financial, economic and investment expert. Former Vice President
and Chief Economist, African Development Bank. Former Professor of Public Policy at the University of Oxford, Blavatnik School , and now Visiting Professor, SAID Business School, Oxford University. HSBC Distinguished Professor of Banking and Finance, Wits University. Author of 12 books and numerous articles. He advises various banks and governments around the world, and is always sought by global media for his views.He is former Chief Economist and Vice President of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Holds a PhD in Economics (Mathematical Finance) from Selwyn College, University of Cambridge UK. He was lecturer in Finance at the London School of Economics, and tenured full-Professor of Finance, Graduate School of Business Administartion, University of the Wiwatersrand, South Africa. He was also the Dean of the Faculty of Commerce Law and Management , and also Dean of Wits Business School, University of Witwatersrand. He founded the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Wits University. He has extensive experience as an investment banker, having served As head of Asset Allocation Strategy and Manager of the INVESTEC Global Managed Fund, and founded of Barbican Group. He served as a Board member of the South African Financial Services Board (FSB), which regulates non-bank financial institutions, and also Chairman of the National Small Business Advisory Council (NSBAC) in South Africa and Chairman of the African economic research Consortium(AERC).His latest books include”Quantitative Easing and its impact in US, Japan, UK and Europe”(2013), “Global Growth and Financial Spillovers”(2015), “Monetary Policy and the economy in South Africa”(2013), “Mathematical Finance”(2009), “Finance and Investments”(2011). Africa’s Middleclass(2015). He served as Chairman of the GAC of WEF on “Poverty and Economic Development” in 2010.
Ousmane Kane
Minister of Economic Affairs and Promotion of Productive SectorsOusmane Mamoudou KANE (Mauritania) is the Minister of Economic Affairs
and Promotion of Production Sectors of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania since December 2020. He previously held the positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Générale de Banque de Mauritanie, Executive Chairman of Engineering & Consulting (Enco), Independent Director of Tasiast Mining Limited SA, Algold SA and Liberia Mofe Creek Mining Incorporated. Ousmane Mamadou Kane has also served as Minister of Finance (2009-2010) and Governor of the Central Bank of Mauritania (2006-2008).
Dr. Alexis de Roquefeuil
Independent Economist And Education SpecialistDr. Alexis de Roquefeuil is an independent economist
and education specialist with 30 years of professional activity in positions of increasing responsibility in the field of Basic, Professional and Technical Education. He has recently assumed the position of Chief of the Education Division of the African Development Bank, after several years at the World Bank, as a Senior Education Specialist. In this capacity, he has a portfolio of social budget policy reviews, as well as a pipeline of dozens of educational development projects accompanied in their design, approval, implementation and final evaluations in Africa and the Maghreb. He was also responsible for e-learning and e-government policies in Africa. As a field expert, he has dedicated part of his career to the design and implementation of projects in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, (Guinea Bissau, Comoros, Cambodia, Kosovo, Jamaica , Madagascar), as well as in the effective implementation of Information Systems and Management of Education (EMIS). With the United Nations in Kosovo, as regional coordinator and then budget director of the Ministry of Education, he dedicated himself to the revitalization of a civil service and teaching administration of more than 30,000 civil servants. The expert holds a doctorate in Economics from Paris 1-Sorbonne, a degree from Sciences-Po Paris and a Masters equivalent degree in Pedagogy, backed up by teaching practice. Resident in Tunis for 12 years, he directs a research initiative on digital democracy.
CONSULTING PARTNERS
Elias Masilela
Resource Person on Private Equity and Economic ResearchMr. Elias Masilela is Executive Chairman, DNA Economics,
Johannesburg; Commissioner, 1st & 2nd National Planning Commission (NPC) of South Africa; Independent Advisor, Gerson Lehman Group, New York, NY; Chairman, Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA); Member, Board of Multichoice SA; Visiting Senior Fellow, Wits University; Consultant, Africoil Zimbabwe; Director, Alternative Prosperity Holdings; Chairman V&A Waterfront; and Chairman, Board of Kalafong Hospital. His previous positions include: Member, Steering Committee, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development; Member, UN Global Compact Board & Chairman, South Africa Local Network; Independent Advisor, DaMina Advisors, NY; CEO, Public Investment Corporation (PIC) (Manager of Africa’s biggest Sovereign Fund (about 80 billion dollars in 2016)); Head of Policy Analysis, Sanlam; Member, Board of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB); Member, Board of the Government Employee Pension Fund(GEPF); Chairman, V&A Waterfront; Member, Board of Airports Company SA (ACSA); Acting Deputy Director, General Economic Policy, National Treasury, SA, February 1998 – June 2005; and Director of Research, Central Bank of Swaziland. Mr. Masilela has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences (Economics and Statistics) from the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) (1986), Master of Sciences in Economic Policy and Analysis, Addis Ababa University (A.A.U.) (1995) and is the recipient of three post-graduate certificates for various courses at Harvard University from 2001-2002.
Dr. Raynauld D Russon
Resource person on emotional intelligence, elections and social researchDr. Raynauld D. Russon is Director of the Institute of Commerce
and Management SA in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was: Rector, Mthashana TVET College (2012-2014); Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand, Dept. of Sociology (1992-–1994 ); Senior Specialist Researcher, Human Sciences Research Council (1997–1998); Lecturer, University of Swaziland, Dept. of Sociology (1989—1992); Chief Executive Officer, Office of the Public Protector (2007-2008), Pretoria; Chief Director, Independent Electoral Commission (1998-2004), Pretoria; Technical Advisor, United Nations Development Programme – Tanzania (2004-2006); General Manager – Advocacy: Presidential Emergency Relief Project for AIDS (PEPFAR), an initiative of the USA President in Swaziland (2010-2011); and Project Manager – Local Government Support, National Business Initiative (1995–1997) in Swaziland.
Dr Russon was the Winner of the World Competition of Young Sociologists (1990) organized by the International Sociological Association. He has published on class, gender, land reforms and other sociological and political topics in a number of publications. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Witwatersrand (2003), M.A. in Sociology from the University of New South Wales (1988) and B. A. in Public Administration and Sociology from the University of Swaziland (1984). Dr Russon is a specialist in emotional intelligence, which addresses the emotional factors which are critical in the work place, at the level of management and the work force.
Dr. Muhammed Lamin Sanyang
Resource Person for Environmental Research and EngineeringDr. Muhammed Lamin Sanyang is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow
in the Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology at the Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia. He had served at the Gambia National Petroleum Company (GNPC) as an Assistant Petroleum Engineer. He was later designated as Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) engineer in the same company (2008-2011). In early 2011, he was fortunate to receive HSE industrial practical training at Venezuela’s national petroleum company (PDVSA).
He has a Bachelor’s Degree (B.Sc) in Material and Mineral Resources Engineering (Petroleum program) from the National Taipei University of Technology (Taiwan) (2008). In 2011, he was awarded the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)’s Masters scholarship to pursue his Master’s Degree (MSc) in Environmental Engineering at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Upon completing his M.Sc programme in 2013, he received an award from the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) in the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia to undertake a Ph.D degree in the field of Green Engineering at the Institute of Advance Technology (ITMA), UPM, which he completed in 2015. His main research interests are: (1) Polymer Engineering (Biodegradable Polymers, Biopolymers, Polymer composites, Polymer-gels); (2) Environmental Engineering (Water and wastewater treatment; Utilization of Agricultural wastes); (3) Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); (4) Material Engineering (Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites, Biocomposites, Cellulose materials, Nano-composites); (5) Materials Selection (Expert systems); and (6) Design for sustainability. Dr. Sanyang has published more than 10 journal articles in international journals, authored or co-authored 7 book chapters and 1 monograph.
Dr. Sanyang is Jula’s Resource Person for Environmental Research and Engineering.
Natasha Léger
Resource person on United States trade policies, healthy livingMs. Natasha Léger is President and founder of ITF Advisors, LLC in Denver,
Colorado. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Denver’s Institute for Public Policy Studies, where she taught Scenario Planning, International Trade Policy, and Comparative Public Policy and worked for a number of years with the former Governor of Colorado, Richard Lamm.
She is a scenario planning, location intelligence and healthy living expert. She is also an international trade attorney turned global strategy consultant to start-ups and Global 10 companies. Ms. Léger has 20 years’ experience advising public and private sector clients. Recognizing that location intelligence is an inspiring competitive advantage, she has integrated it into market intelligence, top-line growth and cost saving strategies for her clients.
Ms. Léger successfully combines her legal, business, and location intelligence skills and has revolutionized thinking around healthy eating and healthy living at the individual and corporate levels. She advises individuals and companies on creating a “nouri” culture, healthy eating, healthy corporate travel and overall wellness lifestyles. She is the author of Travel Healthy: A Road Warrior’s Guide to Eating Healthy and Co-Founder of Global Business Traveler Wellness Associates, a consortium of travel wellness advisors, which brings awareness to often neglected business travelers.
Ms. Léger has over 15 years’ experience in scenario-based strategic planning and business innovation. She has developed global planning strategies and alternative planning assumptions in the United States for Fortune 500 companies across various industries, including communications, software, media, and geospatial.
Prior to founding ITF Advisors, and working for Deloitte as an industry advisor, Ms. Léger served as an international trade attorney with the US Department of Commerce, where she advised the private sector and the US government on trade agreements and treaties, and supported US advocacy efforts with regard to companies competing for global projects.
Ms. Léger is a member of the New York Bar, and obtained her Juris Doctor from Boston College School of Law, Masters of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Denver.
Ms. Léger is Jula’s Resource on healthy living, strategic planning, location intelligence and United States trade policy.
Dr. Nursilah Ahmad
Resource Person on Islamic Finance and International MacroeconomicsDr. Nursilah Ahmad is currently a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Economics
and Muamalat, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). She has occupied several other positions at USIM, such as: Deputy Dean (Student Development and Performance Management), Faculty of Economics and Muamalat, (March 2013 – April 2015); Postgraduate Coordinator, Faculty of Economics and Muamalat (2009); Head of Program, Bachelor of Corporate Administration and Relations (Honours), Faculty of Economics and Muamalat, (Nov. 2009 – March 2013); and Postgraduate Coordinator, Faculty of Economics and Muamalat, USIM (April – Nov. 2009). Dr Ahmad has numerous publications on International Macroeconomics (Exchange Rates and Inflation), Islamic Financial Economics (Sukuk) and Social Economics (Ijtimai Sector – waqf). She has four years’ experience as a Research Fellow at the Islamic Finance and Wealth Management Institute (IFWMI), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (2009 – 2013). She has a Ph.D (Economics) from International Islamic University Malaysia (2009); M.Ec (Economics), International Islamic University Malaysia (2001) and BSBA (Economics), University of Denver, Colorado, USA (1992).
She is our Resource Person in Asia on Islamic Finance, especially Sukuk, and International Macroeconomics.
