Our Team in Liberia

Ms. Christine N. Umutoni of Rwanda is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia. She recently served as the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles. She was already in this position prior to the UN reform. Previously, she was the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Eritrea.

Ms. Umutoni also worked for UNDP as Country Director in Zimbabwe, Country Advisor in the Regional Bureau for Africa at Headquarters in New York, and Head of Governance, Justice, Gender and HIV Units in Rwanda. In this capacity, she supported the production of Rwanda's first-ever Joint Governance Assessment report and capacity building to governance institutions covering elections, anti-corruption, justice, human rights and peacebuilding.

Prior to joining the UN system, she worked as a development consultant, focusing on governance and gender. Ms. Christine N. Umutoni has worked with the Rwandan Government in various capacities. She has served as both Rwanda's Ambassador to Belgium, also accredited to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the European Union and the Vatican, based in Brussels and Rwanda's Ambassador to Uganda.

Before her diplomatic assignments, she worked in the Office of the President as Advisor on Economic and Social Affairs and supported the process of the elaboration of Rwanda’s poverty reduction strategy among other things. Ms. Umutoni also served as Director of Cabinet at the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Social Integration in 1994, after the war and genocide. She was responsible for policy formulation, coordination of ministry activities, and international fundraising for post-genocide rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in Rwanda.

She also coordinated humanitarian aid, reconstruction, repatriation/resettlement of refugees and displaced persons, and provided assistance to vulnerable groups, including widows and orphans. From 1988 to 1994, she worked as Chairperson of the Rwandese Refugees Foundation and contributed to various types of work during the crisis period in Rwanda.

Mr. Andrew Brooks is the UNICEF Representative to Liberia, effective 19th February 2024. He brings over three decades of experience in the protection of children’s rights, gained across diverse humanitarian and development contexts, both at regional and country level. Mr. Brooks' unwavering commitment to children's rights and his proven track record of impactful interventions will be instrumental in advancing the well-being of Liberian children.

Mr. Brooks has served in various leadership roles within UNICEF since 1999, with a strong focus on child protection in West and Central Africa. He most recently oversaw child protection initiatives across 21 countries as the Regional Advisor for East and Southern Africa, demonstrating his profound understanding of regional dynamics and a commitment to collaborative engagement. Prior to this, Mr. Brooks held key positions in Senegal, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire and UNICEF’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa, from where he tackled child protection and child rights challenges in conflict, post-disaster, and development settings, including Liberia.

Mr. Brooks arrives in Liberia with an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing the country's children and a commitment to learning more about how UNICEF can best contribute to these. He will work closely with the Liberian government, civil society, and communities to identify and address critical child protection concerns, including violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Mr. Brooks is committed to promoting a rights-based approach that empowers children and ensures their participation in shaping their future.

Mr. Brooks holds an M.A./Cantab in English Literature from Cambridge University and a Masters in Social Work from Nottingham University, reflecting his dedication to both frontline practice and thoughtful and evidence-based l research and advocacy. He is a citizen of the United Kingdom but was born and spent the first half of his childhood in Burundi, bringing a broad cultural perspective and is looking forward to learning more about the Liberian context.

In this new role, Mr. Brooks will build upon UNICEF's strong partnership with the government and people of Liberia. He is committed to collaborating effectively to contribute towards further developing a country where every child thrives and reaches their full potential.

Christian MUKOSA has been appointed as the Country Representative and Chief of the Office, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Liberia. He brings to this position more than 25 years of experience in human rights, rule of law, transitional justice, peace and security and management. Prior to this position, Christian was the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UN RC) and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Sierra Leone providing technical and policy support to the UN RC, UNCT, government ministries, Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, and civil society organizations.

He has previously worked at the OHCHR Headquarters in Geneva where he provided policy advice, methodological, technical, and capacity building support to OHCHR field presences and UNCTs. He also assisted UNCTs in the implementation of UN global human rights policies including the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP).

Christian has worked extensively in conflict and post-conflict settings including in the context of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. He was a Team Leader in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and Head of the Abidjan Human Rights Regional Office of the then United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI).

Before joining the United Nations, Christian worked for more than a decade for international humanitarian and human rights organizations. He also worked as a lawyer- admitted to the Bar in 1997- and a Lecturer in Human Rights Law. Christian holds a post-university degree in International Human Rights Law from the Louvain Catholic University (UCL) in Belgium in addition to a master’s degree in Law and various specialised certificates in the field of the Rule of Law, Justice, and Human Rights. He is fluent in English, French, Kiswahili, and Lingala.

Comfort Lamptey is the Country Representative for UN Women Liberia with effect from
24 March 2022. Ms. Lamptey is a development practitioner and the immediate past UN
Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS. She has an established track-record of
working to advance women’s rights in the Africa region and globally. Ms. Lamptey has
served in senior advisory and management positions with different UN entities in New
York, Geneva and in countries across Africa. Her work within the UN spans assignments
with the UN Development Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations and more recently UN Women. She has worked extensively on
issues of governance, peace and security and has been instrumental in helping to establish
the policy architecture on gender peace and security in the context of UN peacekeeping.
Ms. Lamptey's professional experience also includes work in the non-governmental
sector. She has further supported the establishment and growth of women’s regional
networks to advance peace and development in Africa, including the Federation of
African Women’s Peace Network, the Mano River Union Women’s Network, the G5
Sahel Women’s Network and more recently the Nigeria chapter of the Africa Women’s
Leadership Network.

She has also served on the board of a number of African-based organizations working to
advance governance and development, including the Centre for Democratic Development
(CDD) and the Africa Leadership Centre. Ms. Lamptey hails from Ghana.

Dr. Olu is a public health physician and global health leader with over 33 years of progressive national and international experience in health policy, leadership, and programme management. His career has been dedicated to strengthening health systems and advancing health equity through the design, implementation, and evaluation of both complex humanitarian and development programmes across Africa and Asia with a focus on sustainability, equity, and context-specific public health solutions.

He has managed large-scale development cooperation frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and national health policies and strategic plans. His humanitarian expertise includes the management of both acute and protracted emergencies including in the development and implementation of Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs), risk reduction, preparedness, response, health systems recovery, and the humanitarian-development-peace nexus within the international humanitarian coordination system.

Dr. Olu has strong managerial capabilities, having led and mentored large multidisciplinary teams in diverse and multicultural environments. He has deep understanding of the African context, shaped by over two decades of working, living, and traveling across the continent.

Notably, he has served as WHO Representative in Rwanda and South Sudan and as Senior Adviser to the senior management of the African Regional Office of WHO. In addition to his operational and strategic roles, Dr. Olu is an active researcher, having authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact global health journals and contributed to three book chapters on public health and disaster management.

Qualifications
MBBS (IL), MPH (LA), PgDip CID (LO), MSc (LO)

Dr. Agbessi Komla Amewoa, a Togolese national, brings over 23 years of diversified professional experience, including 18 years within the United Nations system, to his role as Country Director and Representative at the WFP Liberia Country Office. He joined WFP Liberia on 17 January 2026, following his tenure as WFP Country Director and Representative in Djibouti.

Dr. Amewoa’s career spans leadership and technical roles across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Before joining WFP in 2012, he served with the UN Secretariat at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), UNEP, UNDP, IRENA, and in academia at the University of Limoges in France. He also worked as a civil servant in Togo, his home country.

Across his assignments, Dr. Amewoa has led the design, implementation, and oversight of a broad portfolio of humanitarian and development programmes. His expertise includes emergency food assistance, crisis response, resilience-building, agricultural value chain development, rural microfinance, climate change adaptation and mitigation, school feeding, social protection, and the Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus. He has managed large and diverse teams, guided strategic dialogue with governments, and strengthened national capacities in multiple sectors, including food systems, climate resilience, inclusion, and social protection.

Dr. Amewoa has worked in Indonesia, covering several Southeast Asian countries, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Djibouti.

He holds a PhD in Economics (with highest distinction) and a Master’s degree in Economic Analysis and Policy from the University of Limoges in France, as well as a Bachelor’s and Postgraduate degree in Economics from the University of Lomé in Togo. He also obtained an Executive Certificate in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, and completed the Responsible Negotiators Programme under the Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI) in 2024.

Dr. Mady Biaye is a highly motivated seasoned international development senior expert and manager in population and development with more than 30 years of professional experience at the international level.

Prior to assuming his role in as Resident Representative of UNFPA in Liberia, he served as UNFPA Representative to Democratic Republic of Congo (2024-2025), Angola (2020-2024), Equatorial Guinea (2016-2020), and as Acting UN Resident Coordinator/Designated Official for security with delegation of authority in Equatorial Guinea (2018-2020).

Dr. Biaye also worked as UNFPA Regional Technical Advisor on Population Data Policy (2008-2016) at UNFPA ESARO in Johannesburg, South Africa, and UNFPA & UNECA Regional Technical Advisor on Population Data, Analysis, and Research (2001-2008) at UNFPA Country Technical Services Team (CST) for Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe. Prior to that, he worked as Senior Specialist and Advisor from 1995 to 2001 with various agencies of the UN system in Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe and Washington D.C.

He was full-time Lecturer and Researcher at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) in Belgium (1989-1994), and at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD) and National School for Applied Economics (ENEA) in Senegal (1984-1987) where he was also Deputy Head of the Department of Statistics and Demography.

In addition to his technical skills, Dr. Biaye is known for his strong leadership qualities, interpersonal skills, and ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve their goals. His collaborative approach, coupled with his dedication to social justice and human rights, has earned him the respect and admiration of colleagues and partners alike.

As he takes on this important role, Dr. Biaye brings a wealth of experience, expertise, dedication, and passion for the issues that drive our work at UNFPA. His leadership and vision will undoubtedly strengthen our efforts to promote reproductive health, gender equality, population empowerment, and the rights and inclusive participation of women, girls and young people as agents of change for positive social transformation in Liberia.

Dr. Biaye is multilingual and holds a Diploma of Engineer-Statistician from ENEA in Senegal, and Postgraduate Diploma, Master III and Higher Doctorate Degrees in Demography from UCL in Belgium, and is Master II candidate in Defense, Security and Peace from the Centre des Hautes Etudes de Défense et Sécurité (CHEDS) in Senegal.

Born in Senegal, Dr. Biaye also has Cabo Verde citizenship. He is married and has two children. Dr. Biaye arrived in Liberia on the 10th of September and presented the Letter of Credence from the UNFPA Executive Director, appointing him as Representative of UNFPA to the Republic of Liberia on the 12th of September 2025.

Ms. Kalweo brings over two decades of professional experience in international development and multilateral cooperation with proven leadership in strategic planning, Programme development and management, influencing, partnership and stakeholder engagement for development. As a formally trained public health and communication specialist she has had the privilege to serve in various advisory, planning, management, advocacy and coordination functions providing oversight and leadership to various country level multi-partner processes and contributing to regional and global level agendas and processes.

She has served with UNAIDS in various capacities in a number of countries including Kenya where she served as a Social Mobilization Adviser, In Uganda as an Institutional Development Adviser, in Ethiopia as the Senior Programme Adviser supporting the country office as well as the UNAIDS Liaison office to African Union and Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). At the Regional Support Team for Eastern Southern Africa (ESA) based in Johannesburg SA she supported the office of the Regional Director and the Deputy. In Zimbabwe she served in various advisory capacities ended her tour as the Country Director ad interim. Before joining UNAIDS, Ms Kalweo worked for Population Services International (PSI) Kenya on various health programming initiatives.

She holds a master’s in public health from University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, and MA in cultural communication from University of Western Sydney, Nepean.

She is a Kenyan national and speaks English, Kiswahili and Meru.

Mr. Jesus AGUILAR CEREZO is currently serving as WACI Regional Programme Coordinator for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in West Africa.
Mr. Aguilar has over 20 years of progressively experience in providing policing expertise and technical services to enhance intelligence collection and analysis, surveillance, investigations, tactical operations and international coordination for Law Enforcement Agencies. He has also provided technical assistance with the aim of planning, designing and managing appropriate measures to address the drugs and crime situation and providing technical advice, support and coordination with regards to a broad range of specialized training activities for Law Enforcement Agencies, aimed at strengthening the expertise, operations and investigations.
Mr. Aguilar has worked for United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) as a Counter Narcotics and Organized Crime Advisor. Prior to that, he worked for the Spanish Army and for the Spanish National Police as a Chief Inspector.
Mr. Aguilar holds a master’s degree in criminology from Salamanca University, Spain and a master’s degree in Archaeology from Alcala de Henares University, Spain.

Appointed in September 2018 Director of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel) in Dakar (Senegal), Mr Dimitri Sanga holds a Doctorate and Master's degree in Economics with specialization in econometrics from Laval University (Canada), as well as a Bachelor's degree in Wood Science and Engineering from the same institution.

Mr. Sanga began his professional career in 1999 in teaching micro- and macro-economic sciences at the University of Ottawa (Canada), in parallel with a career as an Economist Statistician (1999-2004) with the Government of Canada.

In 2005, he joined the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa - UNECA (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), where he held several positions until 2013, including Director of the Statistics Division, where he formulated and supervised the programmes of the African Centre for Statistics.

Prior to joining Dakar, he was, since September 2013, the Director and Representative of the Subregional Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa based in Niamey, Niger. In this capacity, Mr. Sanga provided intellectual and political support to the fifteen member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in their efforts to promote economic and social development, regional integration and enhanced cooperation in West Africa.

By 12 September 2023, Mr Dimitri Sanga has become the Director of UNESCO Regional Multisectoral Office covering 15 West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo).

Aliou Mamadou Dia has over 20 years of work experience working on sustainable development issues in Africa with the United Nations. Before joining UNDP Liberia, he served as UNDP Resident Representative in Togo and Cameroon.

Preceding the roles of Resident Representative, he held a senior position as Africa Team Leader on Climate Change, Access to Energy, resilience and Crisis Prevention at the UNDP Regional Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Previously he worked as Regional Mr Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa on Resilience building, Disaster Risk Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery based at the UNDP Hub in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition, he was employed by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) as a Regional Advisor for Disaster Risk Reduction in West Africa, based at ECOWAS in Abuja, Nigeria. Additionally, he worked as a Humanitarian Geographic Information Officer in the UNOCHA Regional Office for West and Central Africa, based in Dakar, Senegal.

In previous assignments, he assisted more than 30 UNDP offices and their government counterparts in Africa in executing their country programs and national development plans through a sustainable development framework.

Mr. Dia holds a Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA) in Geosciences and physical geography from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal.

Mr. Saeed Abubakar Bancie is currently FAO Representative ad interim in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Before joining FAO, Mr. Bancie started his career in 1998 as Monitoring and Information Management Coordinator for the Village Aid Project in Ghana, and in 2001, he became Country Representative.
From 2004 to 2008, he worked for International Non-profit Organization “Heifer International” in Arkansas, United States, as Programme Officer of the Africa Area Programme and as Senior Specialist/Programme Officer of the Agriculture Enterprise Development and HIV/AIDS Programmes.
Between 2010 and 2013, he served as an Adjunct Faculty Instructor of the International Studies Programme for the University of Arkansas. From 2010 to 2011, he was Programme Manager of the East Africa Dairy Development Programme at Heifer International and, in 2011, he subsequently became East Africa Regional Director at the same institution.

Mr Bancie joined FAO in 2014 as Investment Officer for FAO Somalia, based in Nairobi, Kenya, and from 2015 he served as Agrobusiness Officer. In 2018, he was appointed FAO Representative in Eritrea.

Mr Bancie, a national of Ghana, holds a Master of Science in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in Worcester in the United States, a Master of Science in Development Administration and Planning from the University of London in the United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Science in Development Planning from the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana.

Mr. Tidiane BOYE is currently Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Côte d'Ivoire covering Benin, Niger, Togo and OiC for the UNIDO Ghana and Liberia Field Office.

Previously, Mr. Boye served in UNIDO's Partnerships Department, where he was coordinating or participating in UNIDO’s Programmes for Country Partnership (PCP) pilot programmes and partnerships with the private sector and Development Finance Institutions.

He also served for ten years as Industrial Development Officer in the Investment and Technology Promotion Unit of UNIDO, where he was responsible for numerous investment promotion and private sector development programmes in over fifty African, European and Asian countries. Before joining UNIDO, Mr. Boye was Executive Director in the major Business Association in Senegal for ten years. He has served as an expert for several African governments in the fields of private sector development, industrial strategies and policies as well sustainable development. Mr. Boye has nearly thirty-five years' experience in industrial development, private sector development, investment promotion and partnerships.

He holds degrees in Political Science and Economics from Mc Gill University in Montreal, Canada, and in the Politics and Economics of Development from Cambridge University (Darwin College) in the United Kingdom.

Pascaline Barankeba is a socio-economist development expert with over 24 years of experience in leadership and management, rural development, UN/Donor’s coordination, gender equality, partnerships, and resource mobilisation.

She has served as IFAD Country Director for Liberia and Sierra Leone since 2022 and was previously the IFAD Country Director for West and Central Africa covering Cote d’Ivoire. Before joining IFAD, she worked within other UN agencies in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Burundi. She previously led and coordinated various international and national NGOs, worked at the Ministry of Planning and Reconstruction, supported the socio-economic research at the Economic Development Institute in Burundi, and served as an independent consultant.

She is enthusiastic about SDGs, with extensive experience in strategic planning, agri-food systems transformation and rural poverty reduction. She has achieved significant successes in private sector engagement, innovative financing mechanisms, research and policy analysis, institutional capacity building, resource mobilization, gender equality, and peace building in different countries. She coordinated and supported the high level discussions, studies, analysis and advocacies sessions on resilience, nexus and gender & peacebuilding with multi-stakeholders in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, UK, Belgium, USA, Canada, and with the European Union Commission/Belgium as well as the UN Peace Building Commission in New York.

An economist by profession, Ms Barankeba holds a Masters’ Degree in Gender, Institutions and Society from the Light University of Bujumbura in close collaboration with the Catholic University of Louvain/Belgium, and a Degree in Economic and Administration from the University of Burundi. She is certified in Executive Leadership from Harvard Business Publishing and UNDP, and in Human Rights, Health and Discrimination from the University of Geneva.

Ms Vanessa Phala, a South African national is the Country Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prior to this appointment, she worked as a Senior Specialist (Employers’ Activities) at the ILO Office for the Caribbean, in Port of Spain. Before that, she undertook several leading roles in the public and private sectors from 2004 to 2016. She was the Executive Director in charge of Social and Transformation Policy at Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), a non-profit company representing organised business in South Africa. She also served as the Director of the Ethics and Integrity Management Unit and Special Anti-corruption Unit of the South African Department of Public Service and Administration. Her professional career began in 2004, as an Assistant Director in the Policy Research and Analysis Unit of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Ms Phala graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2004 where she obtained a Master’s Degree in International Relations and from the University of the West Indies in 2021 where she obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration.