Fitsum Assefa Adela is a highly accomplished economist and politician who has made significant contributions to Ethiopia’s development. She is currently the Minister of Planning and Development, a position she has held since 2018. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the country’s economic planning and development policies. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.

Having earned her Doctorate in Agricultural Economics from the University of Giessen in Germany and built an impressive career in academia focused on researching various topics related to economic development, including poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, and agricultural productivity, Dr. Assefa was appointed Minister of Planning and Development in 2018.

In this role, she has been responsible for managing the implementation of Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), a 10-year economic development plan. She strongly advocates for evidence-based policymaking and is dedicated to using data and research to guide her decisions.

In addition to her ministerial duties, Fitsum Assefa Adela actively promotes women’s economic empowerment and works to advance gender equality in Ethiopia’s workforce. She serves as a role model for women and girls in Ethiopia and around the world, inspiring them to pursue their dreams and contribute to their communities’ development.

She is a visionary leader with a clear vision for Ethiopia’s future, committed to working tirelessly to make that vision a reality.

Dr. Dereje Senshaw is Deputy Director at Center for Thought Leadership, Global Green Growth Institute, Seoul. In his role, he provides thought leadership to a sound ‘equitable green growth’ goal, tools and approaches. His priorities are focused on generating new knowledge and insights on green growth topics, and making this knowledge available and accessible to policy-makers and the public through various publications and outreach methods. And also, providing technical know-how and content-based services to operational/country teams to support their transition to a sustainable energy future and to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and achieve their Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets. Dr. Senshaw has several years of international research and advisory experience related to energy and climate change, specializing in sustainable low-carbon transitions and energy modeling from emerging and developing countries covering Asia, Africa and the Pacific, with residence experience in Ethiopia, Malaysia, Germany, Jordan and South Korea.
Dr. Senshaw holds a Doctorate in Energy and Environmental Economics and an MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems and Management (both from the University of Flensburg, Germany). He earned his first degree in Engineering from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia

Gerard O’Donoghue is the Deputy Director-General for Green Finance and Corporate Services at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

Gerard joined GGGI in October 2018 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) where he had been the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Director Support Services.   Prior to joining GCF in April 2014 he served in various senior finance capacities for a period of 20 years at the CGIAR living and working in Washinton DC (WB), Rome, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka.

An Irish national, Gerard has a wealth of finance, management and professional leadership experience.  He was formerly a Senior Manager with Price Waterhouse, based in the City of London, where his work ranged from auditing to corporate finance, with a broad spectrum of high profile clients.

Gerard’s primary degree is in mathematics and mathematical physics from the National University of Ireland. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales and also studied Professional Management at the University of York, England.

Jenny Kim is the CEO of Global Industry Hub, where she leads global initiatives that empower philanthropy with the knowledge, partnerships, and tools needed to accelerate climate progress toward a sustainable and equitable future. Prior to this role, she served as Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, where she acted as the country’s chief negotiator and head of delegation to the UNFCCC and various bilateral/multilateral negotiations on climate and green growth.

Before joining the Ministry, she was the Deputy Director-General at GGGI, overseeing operations in more than 30 countries to advance low-carbon economic development and support NDCs. Earlier in her diplomatic career, she served as the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Senegal and 05 neighboring countries.

Since August 2023 Joern Beissert has been serving as Minister at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Korea in Seoul. He is the head of the Economic Department and of the Climate Unit of the Embassy.

After graduating from Bonn University with Master degrees in economics and translation (Chinese, Japanese) he passed the entrance exam for the German Federal Foreign Office in 1994. Aside from serving in headquarters he was assigned to German missions in Taipei (Taiwan, 1996-1999), Vienna (Austria, 2002-2005), Tirana (Albania, 2005-2007), Tokyo (Japan, 2007-2010), Beijing und Shanghai (China, 2013-2017) und Washington, DC (USA, 2017-2019). From 2019 till 2023 he was Director of the China Division of the Federal Foreign Office.

Katerina is GGGI’s Regional Director for Africa and Head of Programs. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in the development sector, including resource mobilization, project development and implementation.

Katerina was previously GGGI’s Director for the Pacific and Country Representative for Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga and Papua New Guinea (PNG). She joined GGGI nine years ago and established the Fiji and Vanuatu country programs, followed by Kiribati, Tonga, PNG, Samoa and Solomon Islands. She spearheaded the creation of the Pacific Regional Office and successfully secured resources for regional programs on NDC implementation and climate finance, while growing the Pacific operations to 14 countries and over 70 staff with offices.

Prior to joining GGGI, Katerina worked for GIZ as Senior Sustainable Energy Advisor and led a Project Management Unit for a European Union initiative focusing on renewable energy development in the Pacific, developing, leading, and implementing a range of renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and infrastructure projects across the Pacific region. Prior to moving to the Pacific, Katerina engaged in several renewable energy and rural electrification projects in nine countries across the Africa region. She has participated in 100+ projects across various key sectors in working for the largest donors as well as the private sector.

Katerina holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Bristol University, a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées (DESS) in Energy Management from the University of Bordeaux, France and a MSc in Sustainable Development, specializing in Rural Development from the University of London SOAS.

Dr. Malle Fofana is the Regional Director for Asia and Officer-in-Charge (OIC) for the Deputy Director-General for Green Growth Implementation at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Dr. Fofana has more than 22 years of professional experience in the development and private sectors, specializing in resource mobilization, project development, and implementation. He supports the Green Growth Transition of GGGI’s member countries in Asia — from policy to investment — by working closely with governments, the private sector, financial institutions, multilateral development banks (MDBs), and impact investors.

Prior to joining GGGI, Dr. Fofana served as Managing Director at leading management consulting firms, focusing on development issues in Africa. In these roles, he defined, led, and implemented a wide range of economic and social development initiatives across the continent. He has contributed to over 100 projects in key sectors, collaborating with major donors as well as private sector partners in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Okechukwu Daniel Ogbonnaya is a visionary leader serving as the Country Representative for Ethiopia at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). He also represents GGGI to the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs), where he spearheads strategic engagements with senior government officials, development partners, and key private sector actors in the climate action space. Prior to his current role, Mr. Ogbonnaya was the GGGI Country Representative to Rwanda, where he played a pivotal role in Rwanda’s green growth transformation by developing green growth strategies and frameworks.

Mr. Ogbonnaya has held several important positions within GGGI, including Regional Portfolio Coordination Officer for Africa and the Middle East at the GGGI Headquarters in Seoul. He also served as the Rwanda Program Lead, overseeing strategic and programmatic design and implementation, and as the Knowledge Management and Outreach Officer for the Ethiopia program. Between 2010 and 2015, he was extensively involved in establishing GGGI’s country offices and engaging with Members.

His expertise spans development, green growth, climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, leadership, strategic and change management. He has successfully mobilized finance and investments for various countries and continues to provide thought leadership and mentorship to many. Mr. Ogbonnaya has authored and contributed his knowledge to numerous policy documents, technical papers, and reports on green growth. Notable works include co-authoring Rwanda’s National Roadmap for Green Secondary Cities Development and coordinating the engagements and development of Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Strategy; GGGI-UNIDO study on green industrial development and employment.

Joining GGGI in July 2010, Mr. Ogbonnaya holds a master’s degree in international development & cooperation and an Executive Certificate in Economic Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. With prior experience in Korea, Sweden, and Nigeria, he brings a diverse international perspective and rich experience in his 25 plus years of work to his role.

Priyantha has over 39 years of professional experience including 17 years in ADB. He served as the Director, South Asia Energy Division and Chief of Energy Sector Group prior to assuming the current position in June 2023. Before joining ADB, he served as the founder Director General of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka and a Senior Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Moratuwa. He has extensively contributed to the areas of energy policy and regulation, energy planning and clean energy development. He is currently an adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Moratuwa.

Priyantha holds a Doctorate in Power Systems Economics from the Imperial College London and had been a regular Academic Visitor at Imperial College London during the period 1993–1998. He was a Chairman of the South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulators (SAFIR) and was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ceylon Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority. He was an Advisory Board member of the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), a Chartered Electrical Engineer and a Member of the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET), UK. He is a Past President of the Sri Lanka Energy Managers Association.

RD SILIWANTI, MPIA, Expert Staff to the Minister on Economic and Financial Synergy, Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia

Rd Siliwanti currently serves as the Expert Staff to the Minister for Development Funding Innovation at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas. She holds a doctorate in political science from University of Indonesia, a Master of Public and International Affairs (M.P.I.A) from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Universitas Padjadjaran. With over three decades of her career at Bappenas, she has held various strategic positions in development funding, innovative financing, international cooperation, and political affairs.

Her notable positions include Act. Director for Bilateral Development Financing (Juni 2024 – Mei 2025), Director for Multilateral Development Cooperation (September 2020 – Juli 2022), Director for Multilateral Foreign Funding (Februari 2018 – September 2020), Director for State Apparatus (Maret 2015 – Februari 2018), among others. She has also led several UN-supported initiatives, such as the Indonesia Democracy Index (UNDP), Peace Corps Program, Election-MDP-UNDP, SIDES Project-UNDP. This reflects her long-standing expertise in governance, development cooperation, and innovative financing for sustainable development.

Victor has over 15  years of experience in international business development and foreign affairs, specializing in sustainable economic growth.

His leadership roles include Managing Director – Saskatchewan India Office/ Counsellor (Commercial), High Commission of Canada in New Delhi; Trade and Investment Director – Asia Pacific, Alberta Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism (EDTT); and Trading Manager (Mineral and Energy Resources), Mitsui & Co. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Trinity College, he holds an MBA from the University of Toronto, and a Global Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management. He is also pursuing a PhD in sustainable energy diplomacy between Canada and Korea, focusing on energy security and global climate policy.