H.E. Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas

Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas is a visionary leader with over four decades of experience driving transformative development across Africa. As the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), she spearheads Africa’s strategic agenda for economic growth and sustainable development leading the continent’s charge towards the accomplishment ofAgenda2063 — a blueprint for a united, prosperous, and self-reliant Africa. Mrs. Bekele-Thomas is the first woman to lead asCEO of AUDA-NEPAD. Under her leadership of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) of Agenda2063, AUDA-NEPAD is catalysing Africa’s development through impactful programmes and transformative partnerships in Agriculture, Food Security, Environmental Sustainability, Infrastructure, Trade and Markets, Human Capital Institutional Development and Science Technology and Innovation. Mrs. Bekele-Thomas is currently leading a continent-wide AUDA-NEPAD Footprint initiative to expand the organisation’s national and regional presence to better support member states in the implementation of Agenda 2063. At AUDA-NEPAD, Mrs. Bekele-Thomas leads a team of over two hundred experts across diverse fields and has mobilized resources and forged strategic partnerships that has resulted into new funding streams for the agency. Mrs Bekele-Thomas has also led AUDA-NEPAD’s successful advocacy for the African Union’s bid to become a permanent member of the G20, further enhancing Africa’s influence on the global stage. Before joining AUDA-NEPAD, Mrs. Bekele-Thomas was a highly accomplished leader having held senior leadership roles within the United Nations (UN) which included Senior Director in the Office of the Secretary-General, UN Resident Coordinator and Head of the UN System in three countries i.e., South Africa, Kenya and Benin. She is a member of the Group of African Eminent Women and has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the 2015 AU/DAF Women of Excellence Award, and African Business Top 100 influential leaders in Africa. Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas holds a Master’s degree from New York University (NYU), is a respected author on development issues and is fluent inAmharic, French, and English.