CEO of the African Union Development Agency/NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), she is the first woman to hold the position. Nardos Bekele-Thomas spearheads Africa’s strategic agenda for growth and sustainability, leading the continent’s charge toward Agenda 2063—a blueprint for a united, prosperous, and self-reliant Africa. Her leadership is defined by a commitment to unlocking Africa’s potential through high-impact initiatives that span infrastructure, energy, health, and gender empowerment. Before joining AUDA-NEPAD, Mrs. Bekele-Thomas was Resident Coordinator for the United Nations (UN) and Head of the UN System in South Africa where she led successful efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. From 2008 to 2013, she served as UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya and Benin, where her leadership was instrumental in peacebuilding, constitutional reform, and fostering public-private partnerships. Mrs. Bekele-Thomas holds a Master’s Degree from New York University (NYU) and is a respected author on development issues. Fluent in Amharic, French, and English, she leverages her multilingual abilities to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders across the continent and globally.
For a reasonably open world
