Author: Franc Kabu

Ibrahim Mamadou Diop is a Niger national.
He holds a Global MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GeorgiaTech) and an Executive master’s in development policy and management from SciencesPo Paris. He also holds numerous certifications including the International Change Maker from ESSEC Business School and the Certificate of Hispanic Business Studies from ITBA – Buenos Aires.
He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Public Affairs from University Paris Dauphine – PSL with research interest on the humanitarian- development- peace nexus in the Sahel region.

After nine years spent in the United States and solid training at major financial
institutions he returned to Niger in 2009 where he joined the nuclear group ORANO (ex- AREVA) on the mega Imouraren project of which he served as Director of Internal Audit and Financial Control.

In 2016 he progressed to the Acosta Mining Company (a SOPAMIN, ORANO and ENUSA partnership) as Secretary General.
Prior to his incoming role with Shelter Afrique, Ibrahim served as Advisor to the Executive Director of the African Development Bank in charge of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verbe, Gabon, the Union of the Comoros, Mali, Niger and Senegal.
Ibrahim is fluent in both French and English.

Nisan Abdulkader, dual Yemeni-Kenyan, is a seasoned communications & government advisor having worked in senior public and private sectors roles across the globe including in Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Syria, Italy and Canada. Nisan began her career in advisory roles at UN agencies including Consortium for agricultural research (CGIAR), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy and the United Nations Environment Program in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. Nisan has also served as the Vice President for Wavteq and the Vice President, Africa & Middle East at the Financial Times Group.

In the course of her career, Nisan has advised over 30 government authorities in Africa on how to best respond to the significant foreign investment opportunity which has created an estimated 50 million high value jobs across sectors like Infrastructure, Agriculture, Healthcare, Tourism, ICT and Manufacturing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nisan has supported key African economic development and investment authority to weather the economic impacts through expert advice & resilience strategies to rebuild emerging economies.

As a dynamic and key expert in the field, Nisan has participated as a panelist and moderator in key global influencing forums and events. She held a directive role at the largest North American African Business Initiative in Montreal, Canada; as well as being invited to speak on multiple global platforms including the BBC Focus on Africa news segments, Harvard, Yale University symposium, Annual Investment Meeting UAE, COMESA Annual Meeting as Chair, Commonwealth Africa Forum, One Africa Network Forum, Global Business Forum in Canada and an initiative by the World Bank, the EI4A –Entrepreneurship for Investment in Africa. Nisan is also a Board Member at Unsolve consultancy, Guul Group & Board President of the Yemeni National Business Council WICCI and on the advisory board of Business Club Africa and four foreign direct investment consultancies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Nisan holds the Mary Brooks Law Award, the Social Business Impact Award and the Extraordinary Young 30 Under 30 Award from the Government of Canada.

Nisan Abdulkader holds an honours B.A in Political Science, Management and

International Development Studies from McGill University in Canada and a Diploma of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies from Harvard University. Nisan speaks 6 languages: Arabic, English, Italian, French, Swahili, Spanish.

Marianne Koly is an audit, risk, and fraud examination leader with a wealth of expertise.

She earned her master’s degree in public administration from École Nationale d’Administration Publique du Québec (Canada) and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University Paris XII (France).

Marianne is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a Certified Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) professional , and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

With a remarkable 20 year career, she has progressively advanced in both assurance and advisory services in auditing within a prestigious ‘Big Four’ audit firm. Notably, Marianne served as an Audit Senior Manager at EY (formerly Ernest & Young) in West Africa.

Her extensive experience includes conducting risk-based internal audits in Canada and collaborating with multinational financial institutions across Africa to deliver audit project.

Marianne has played a pivotal role in delivering financial audits and consulting services, encompassing risk mapping, transaction advisory services, and internal control reviews.

Fluent in both English and French, Marianne Koly brings a unique international perspective to her work, making her an asset to the company.

Nabil Mahfoudh, a Tunisian national has been appointed as our new Head of Treasury and reports to the Managing Director.
With over 26 years of extensive international experience, he brings onboard expertise in managing foreign exchange, liquidity, Investment, and interest rate risk environments.
During his career, Nabil has held various Treasury, Dealing Room and Risk positions in Management, including Assets Liability Management, Financial Institutions relationship management and software treasury products implementation.
Nabil joins from Qatar National Bank in Tunisia and holds a bachelor’s degree in international finance from IHEC Tunisia, a master’s degree in market and corporate finance from IHEC Tunisia, a Master’s degree in banking management from the Conservation Nationale des Arts et Métiers Française, Paris, and holds the ACI Dealing Certificate and the International Dealing Room Diploma from The Financial Markets Association London.
He is fluent in 3 languages: French, English and Arabic.

Gibson Mapfidza is a Zimbabwean national with over two decades of extensive experience as a Chartered Surveyor, primarily focused on the built environment and bulk infrastructure sectors. Prior to joining ShafDB, he was the Managing Director at Mashonaland Holdings Limited.

Throughout his career, he has successfully led numerous mega property development projects across Africa, demonstrating expertise in infrastructure financing, property investment management, and strategic business growth initiatives.
His career began at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) International Property Consultants, followed by a pivotal role at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, where he spearheaded Corporate Real Estate Services (CRES) and Infrastructure Financing portfolios.

Transitioning to Old Mutual in 2010, Gibson ascended to the position of Head of Property Development, overseeing notable infrastructure projects spanning Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Malawi, as well as contributing to property portfolio valuation and amalgamation efforts in East Africa under Old Mutual Africa. He has active membership with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and other regional professional institutes.
Gibson pursued his studies at the University of Reading, UK, completing an MSc in Real Estate Investment. He also obtained an MBA specializing in Development Finance from the University of Cape Town in 2022.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Gibson shares his wealth of knowledge as a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe since 2008.