User:Benedictsoriekanu
BENEDICT SORIE KANU
Benedict Sorie KANU, a seasoned development professional, is a Sierra Leonean Agricultural Economist with more than 27 years of international professional experience, including designing, managing and evaluating agricultural programmes. Some 25 years of such experience was gained in serving the African Development Bank (AfDB) responsibly in various capacities spanning multiple countries and regions of Africa.
In July 1997, Benedict was recruited by the AfDB as a Senior Agricultural Economist in the Country Department South Region. He was promoted in 2005 to the position of Principal Agricultural Economist in the Sector Department covering the North, East and South Regions.
Subsequently, Benedict served the AfDB in Uganda, first as Country Programme Officer (CPO) of the Uganda Country Office from 2005 to 2009, and for 1 year thereafter, as Officer-in-Charge (O-I-C) and CPO. In his capacity as O-I-C, Benedict provided strategic leadership, advice and managerial oversight to the Country Office, identified new business opportunities for the Bank, as well as supervised a country portfolio comprising 26 national, and multi-national investment projects, with financial commitments valued at USD 1.1 billion and over 12 AfDB staff and consultants. He ensured constructive policy dialogue and aid coordination between the Government of Uganda and the international donor community, in the Bank’s capacity as Chair of the Water and Sanitation Sector Development Partners Group that comprised 14 development partners and NGOs including France, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, EU Delegation, USAID, World Bank, UNICEF, Water Aid, Uganda Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, and the International Rescue Committee.
In 2009, Benedict was promoted to the Lead Agriculture Officer in the Bank's Agriculture and Agro-industry Department (OSAN). In this capacity, he was responsible for knowledge development and dissemination. His duties included coordinating AfDB agricultural and agribusiness partnerships with the World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), African Union Commission (AUC), Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO), World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), IDH-Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, and international non-profits/Civil Society Organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation, OXFAM, Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP). Benedict added significant value to the partnership between the Bank and AGRA, among others.
As Lead Agriculture Expert, Benedict simultaneously held the positions of O-I-C of the African Union (AU) initiated Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) for 7 years and Bank Oversight Officer of the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF) for 2 years - both being special multi-donor initiatives hosted and administered by the Bank. He supervised staff and consultants, led resource mobilization, and defended the interests of the AFFM. Benedict was instrumental in ensuring that the AFFM became operational.
In January 2018, Benedict was promoted to the position of AfDB Country Manager for South Sudan. In this capacity, he was the advocate of the Bank in the host country, oversaw all of the Bank’s investment operations including a country portfolio with financial commitments valued at USD 150 million, spearheaded new business development, engaged in policy dialogue and provided strategic leadership to his team. In October 2021, he appointed AfDB Country Manager for Liberia and supervises an active country portfolio valued at about USD 400 million.
During his career in the Bank, Benedict acquired rich and varied experience in AfDB’s operations and corporate processes, as well as in policy development. Benedict led numerous project cycle missions to various African countries, headed the design and processing of several distinctive multi-million dollar agriculture and rural development project proposals, and defended them successfully before the Bank’s Executive Boards. Benedict also had extensive responsibility for project and portfolio management, policy dialogue with senior African government officials and the private sector, and aid coordination. He provided meaningful technical contributions to several other AfDB publications. He assisted greatly in building the capacity of country staff of Project Implementation Units (PIU) of AfDB-sponsored projects on Bank operational and fiduciary policies. He not only served as member of AfDB several interview committees to recruit new staff and promote exiting ones, but also chaired numerous interview panels.
Prior to joining the Bank, Benedict consulted for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the University of Swaziland, Abt Associates Inc. Maryland, and the Mitchell Group in Washington, D.C. for 2 years. In his early career, Benedict, an Agronomist of the Magbass Sugar Complex, contributed to developing the sugar sub-sector in his native Sierra Leone.
Benedict earned a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from the University of Sierra Leone.
