Our Team in South Sudan

Ms. Gbeho brings over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, coordination and management in political, development and humanitarian affairs at United Nations Headquarters and in diverse conflict and post-conflict settings, including Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, Namibia, Somalia and Sudan. She has served as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General-Political in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia since 2021, where she assists the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in supporting Somalia to achieve its peace and state-building goals.

Prior to that, from 2018 to 2020, Ms. Gbeho served as Deputy Joint Special Representative of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur where she led the development and implementation of the Mission’s transition strategy. Between 2015 and 2018, she was Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative with the United Nations Development Program in Namibia. She has also served as Chief of Section in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York and as Head of Office for OCHA in Somalia and Southern Sudan.

Ms. Gbeho holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.

Petronella Halwiindi is UNOPS Country Manager covering South Sudan from 16 January 2024. She is a Zambian national, with more than 19 years of experience working with International NGOs since 2004 and has served in various functions and has served in Country Director positions for 11 years in Malawi, Zambia and Uganda. She holds a bachelor’s in agriculture economics and a Masters in Poverty Reduction, Policy and Practice.

Peter Kamalingin B.L of Uganda is the newly appointed UNAIDS Country Director for South Sudan. Mr. Kamalingin has 25 years of experience in humanitarian, development and advocacy work across Africa, Asia and the Americas. He is a passionate leader and a social justice advocate.
As someone who grew up in rural villages of eastern Uganda, he experienced first-hand the manifestations of conflicts, inequality, and social injustices – experiences which continue to inspire him to contribute to overcoming social injustice including access to health services. He is the former Global Director of Political and Program strategy for ActionAid International, a role he served from December 2022. From March 2019 to December 2022, Peter was Oxfam’s Pan Africa Director and Representative to the African Union. Other roles he served in Oxfam International include Deputy Regional Director, Horn, East and Central Africa- HECA (January 2018-March 2019), Country Director Uganda (Feb 2012-Dec 2017), Associate Country Director in Somalia (August 2010-January 2012) and Representative for humanitarian planning, Horn of Africa (Nov 2006-July 2010).
Previously, Peter worked with other INGOs at program and policy advisor level. At CARE International, he was Head of Emergencies and Northern Uganda Team Leader (2005-2006). Between June 1999 and 2004, he was the ActionAid Regional Program Manager, Change Lead on Internationalization process as well as being part of the Policy and Program Team for Uganda.
In all these positions, he was involved in establishing, nurturing and navigating complex relationships with multiple stakeholders including governments and inter- governmental institutions. He has led major change processes, represented and spoken for organizations and vulnerable people at international forums. He communicates with impact and is passionate about people.
He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations (University of Nairobi), Advanced Certificate in Peace & Conflict Studies (EPU, Austria), BA Political Science & Public Administration (Makerere University, Kampala). He has also attained several professional courses in leadership & Management. Peter is fluent in English and Swahili and many East African Languages.

Dr. Olajide assumes office as UNFPA Representative to South Sudan from 01 April 2022, having completed services as UNFPA Representative to Kenya since July 2017. Previously he served as the Chief, Non-Core Funds Management Unit in the Office of the Executive Director, UNFPA headquarters in New York.

Dr. Olajide was the UNFPA Representative in Namibia in 2014/2015, where he spearheaded efforts in population data and evidence, while supporting interventions that enhanced reproductive health and gender equality. Previously, he served as the Head of Division, Health, Nutrition and Population African Union Commission in Ethiopia from 2011 to 2013. His earlier career was with UNICEF and UNFPA in Nigeria, where he held various positions such as Programme Adviser, Reproductive Health Adviser, National Programme Officer as well as HIV/AIDS Specialist.

Dr. Olajide holds a bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery (MB’BS) from University of Ibadan, Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Federal University of Technology, Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Ibadan and Masters of Arts in International Relations and Strategic Studies (MAIRSS) from Benue State University.

Mr. Aklile has been serving as ITC’s Country Manager for the Republic of South Sudan since March 2019. Mr. Aklile has over 19 years of experience in trade promotion, development and trade related technical assistance. He has extensive experience in project management, coordination and implementation.

Mr. Aklile has worked with a wide array of stakeholders, governments and regional economic communities across Africa in the implementation different trade development projects and programs.

He holds a master’s degree in international Trade Law and Economics from the University of Bern, a bachelor's degree in economics from the Addis Ababa University, and diploma of advanced studies in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Geneva.

Mr. Musindio is ILO Country Director for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Special representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa. A national of Zimbabwe, he has more than 20 years of experience of international development work across several countries in Africa. Having started his UN career as a Programme Officer in 1998 at the ILO Regional Office for Africa in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Alexio has led ILO office the ILO across several countries in East and Southern Africa. Alexio holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics, University of Zimbabwe and a master’s degree in Development Economics, William College, Massachusetts, USA.

Dr. Caroline is an accomplished Agriculture Development expert with 15 years’ experience working in Africa. She is known for her work in promoting innovative and climate-smart technologies for enhancing livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers.
Prior to her appointment as Country Director, she worked at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, a CGIAR center, since 2014. Her last position was Thematic leader, Climate-smart Agriculture Practices and Technologies for the CGIAR-AICCRA Program, funded by the World Bank.

Caroline is experienced in policy and advocacy and was member of the Africa Group of Climate Negotiators Expert support group. Among her experiences is working on innovations for climate risk management, agricultural insurance, climate information services and sustainable finance in Sub-Sahara.

Caroline graduated from Montpellier Sup Agro in France in 2012 with a Doctorate degree in Integrated Systems in Ecology, Agronomy and Environment. She is passionate about agriculture transformation and strives to catalyze progress for rural development.

Charles (Charlie) Undeland moved to Juba as the World Bank Group (WBG) Country Manager for South Sudan in July 2024. In this role he provides country-level leadership for engagement with South Sudan for the WBG’s constituent parts, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the International Finance Corporation, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. This leadership role involves providing integrated solutions in partnership with the country’s public and private sector to deliver development results for the South Sudanese people.

Mr. Undeland joined the World Bank in 2009. Prior to his current position, he was a Senior Operations Officer in the Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan Country Management Unit (CMU), as well as the India CMU. In these roles he was a core member of the management teams in formulating the World Bank’s strategy for country engagement and overseeing operational and analytical work in the respective countries. Before joining country management, Mr. Undeland had assignments as a Senior Governance Specialist based in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where he led several World Bank-financed operations and analytical work, and also led efforts to promote good governance across World Bank country portfolios.

Mr. Undeland held a wide range of positions before coming to the World Bank, focusing primarily on countries in Eurasia. These included working for the U.S. Agency for International Development in supporting rule-of-law reforms in the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the Urban Institute in supporting local government management and decentralization efforts across Central Asia. Mr. Undeland also worked with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and as a freelance journalist and Russian-English translator earlier in his career.

Dr Karamagi is a public health officer with an extensive educational background. He holds a Doctor of Public Health, a Master of Science in Health Policy Planning and Financing, a Diploma in Tropical Medicine, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

With over 25 years of experience in public health, Dr Karamagi has focused on transforming health service delivery to maximize health outcomes for Universal Health Coverage, Health Security, and health determinants. He has a particular interest in the way health system investments can be deployed to maximize access to essential services, quality of care, community demand, and health system resilience.

Dr Karamagi has held various positions, including Acting WHO Representative in Angola from May 2023 to January 2024, Senior Technical Officer in Health Systems Development in the WHO Regional Office for Africa, Acting WHO Representative in Seychelles, and Advisor in Health Systems Strengthening at the WHO Country Office in Kenya.

His work and research interests lie in global public health, health system strengthening, and infectious diseases epidemiology.

 

Mr. Fran O’Grady joined the UNMISS team as Chief of Mine Action following an appointment as Senior Program Manager Rule of Law Reform with the United Nations in Ukraine. This is his sixth mission with UNMAS, the first of which was in 2002 as an Operations Officer in Eritrea/Ethiopia, followed by Capacity Development Team Leader in South Sudan (2013/14), Senior Program Officer in DRC, Program Manager ai. with Syria Response, and Head of Projects in Iraq - other UN Peacekeeping/Enforcing Missions include Kosovo, Liberia, and Chad.
With 25 years of management and technical experience, including ten United Nations missions across Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, Fran has led large teams and implemented complex initiatives in emergency response, humanitarian, and development settings - involving stakeholder management, senior political engagement, and resource mobilization. In addition to a military career, retiring as a Senior Officer, Fran holds a master’s degree from Trinity College Dublin, as well as being a Chartered Professional Engineer and professional mentor.

Ishaku Maitumbi is the Senior Advisor in the Regional Officer for Africa, UN-HABITAT covering Eastern and Horn of Africa Region.
He is a chartered urban planner (MRTPI) with over 20 years' professional experience in the sector, including more than 12 years with the United Nations. He previously served in Somalia, Iraq, Kosovo, Ethiopia and Nigeria, amongst other places.

Prior to joining the United Nations, he was a United Kingdom civil servant in local and regional/central government. Ishaku specializes in urbanization, displacement and local government systems strengthening access to basic services and unban resilience, especially in post-conflict and developing environments. This varied experience is backed up with an MSc in Urban Planning and International Development (Oxford Brookes, UK).

As of January 2022, He was appointed as the new Task Manager responsible for South Sudan.

Mr Julius Banda (Malawi) was appointed as UNESCO Representative to South Sudan in January 2020. Prior to this appointment, he served as Chief of the Executive Office of the Social and Human Sciences Sector at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. From 1999 to 2009, he served as a key member of the Office of the Director General of UNESCO, responsible for monitoring issues relating to Africa, legal affairs, governing bodies, evaluation and audit, and human resources management. He also served as Secretary of the Senior Management Team, chaired by the Director-General. He holds an LLM degree in international business law from the University of London, and an LLB (Hon) degree from the University of Malawi.

Ms Bucyana, an Industrial Development Officer with specialization in agri-business development, has over 17 years’ experience in international development particularly in agri-business and agro-industry development.

Prior to current post, Ms Bucyana served as the Deputy to the Representative, UNIDO Regional Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Officer in Charge of UNIDO office South Sudan. She has also served as an industrial development officer involved in the promotion of inclusive and sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition. During this period, she also provided technical assistance in the implementation of agri-business programmes and projects in Asia, South America and Africa.
Ms. Bucyana’s main achievements include: implementation of integrated agro-industrial parks in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Zambia; the UN ‘delivering as one approach’ Programme piloted in Tanzania, Rwanda and Mozambique; Food Security and Quality Infrastructure development in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique which facilitated uptake of industrial development in the countries.
Ms. Bucyana’s passion is to promote industrial processing, packaging and global marketing of indigenous African processed foods.

Ms. Bucyana has BSc in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nairobi and Msc in Food Safety and Quality Assurance from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

COUNTRY FOCAL POINT:
Victor Cobby Baah, Programme Management Specialist
Email: v.baah@unido.org

Marie-Helene Verney is the current UNHCR Representative to South Sudan who has worked for UNHCR for over twenty years in a wide range of functional capacity including Principal Coordinator in Sudan, Head of Bureau, External Engagement Service in Panama, Head of Sub-Office in Goma, Representative in Tirana, Head of Sub-Office in Afghanistan, Head of Field Office in Bentiu, Senior Liaison Officer in Liberia, Senior Executive Assistant to the Deputy High Commissioner in Switzerland, Senior Regional Global Public Information Officer in Colombia, Public Information Officer, Division of External Relations in Switzerland and Public Information Officer in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Before joining UNHCR, Ms. Marie-Helene worked for 16 years for prominent media houses (CNN International and BBC World Television/World Service Radio) in the United Kingdom.

Mary Ellen Mc Groarty is the Representative and Country Director for WFP in South Sudan since January 2023. Mary Ellen has many years of humanitarian leadership and front-line operational experience in conflict-affected countries. Prior to her current appointment, she served as WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Afghanistan before and after the takeover by the Taliban in 2021, overseeing the largest humanitarian operation in the world with over 22 million people assisted.
In 2022, Mary Ellen was awarded the Irish Presidential Medal for Distinguished Services Overseas for Peace, Reconciliation and Development. She was also awarded the Alumni Award for Law, Public Service and Society from the University of Galway, her alma mater.
Previously, Mary Ellen served as Deputy Country Director for Operations in South Sudan, where she steered WFP’s emergency and resilience operations and contributed to designing programmes linking peace and food security. She has also served as WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Chad overseeing emergency and resilience programmes in response to multi-crises, including in Lake Chad and the Sahel.
In addition, Mary Ellen has held leadership and management positions in logistics, program and procurement, and has worked in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Burundi and at WFP headquarters in Italy. She was a member of the design and implementation team for WFP’s ground-breaking program for support to smallholder farmers across 20 pilot countries, Purchase for Progress (P4P), and expanded local food purchase and food systems initiatives.
She studied at University College Galway, and has a BA in Law and Economics, an LLB, and most recently an LLM in International Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law and Conflict from the Irish Centre for Human Rights.

Mr Meshack Oguna Malo was appointed as FAO Representative in May 2019. He joined FAO in 2007 as Associate Professional Officer, Integrated Natural Resources, at the FAO Sub regional Office for Eastern Africa, Ethiopia where he also served as the focal person to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Other roles including serving as Advisor in the Office of the Director-General, providing support to the Director-General in areas related to agriculture, climate change, forestry and natural resources in Africa. Mr Malo, a national of Kenya, holds a Master’s Degree in Dryland Biodiversity from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies (Planning and Management), from Kenyatta University, Kenya. He is married and has two daughters and one son.

Dr. Mohamed Abchir Aouale, PhD, brings over three decades of professional experience, with 23 years dedicated to the United Nations at various levels – nationally, regionally and globally, dealing with strategic, programmatic, and operational challenges. His expertise lies in navigating crises, post-crisis scenarios, and fragile settings across Africa, including complex UN Mission environments and humanitarian contexts.

Notably, Dr. Abchir has effectively engaged with governments, development partners, and NGOs on political and developmental issues in diverse, often sensitive, landscapes. With a strong leadership background, Dr. Abchir has provided strategic guidance to UNDP Country Offices for more than 18 years, serving in a diverse range of managerial roles.

Prior to his assignment at UNDP South Sudan, Dr. Abchir was the Resident Representative in Benin between November 2020 and June 2024. He previously worked at the Regional Bureau for Africa as Senior Country Advisor and Team Leader in charge of Eastern and Southern Africa (2018-2020), providing strategic, programmatic, technical, and operational support and advice to 21 countries in his region. He also served at UNDP Congo Brazzaville as Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes and Operations (2015-2018) and as Deputy Resident Representative - Programmes in UNDP Sierra Leone (2011-2015). In 2013, he served in Sierra Leone as interim UNDP Country Director during a crucial moment in the country's history, when, after the 2012 elections, the United Nations Political Mission was drawing from the country. Under his leadership, UNDP supported the Government in this transition by setting up ambitious programs and mobilizing resources for several sectors to revive the national economy.
Dr. Abchir worked in Geneva, Switzerland, as Africa Regional Advisor for the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) (2005-2011) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2001-2005). During his tenure, he successfully designed and coordinated several initiatives, and led post-crisis and post-disaster assessment missions, both from the headquarters as well as physically on the ground, in Haiti, Burkina Faso, CAR, CHAD, South Sudan. Outside UNDP, He worked for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy, as a consulting advisor (1999 and 2000).

Apart from his programmatic and operational roles, Dr. Abchir has a rich research background, having also worked as a researcher and academic. In Djibouti, Dr. Abchir was the Director of the Earth Sciences Department (1994-2001) at the Institut Supérieur d'Etudes et de Recherche Scientifiques et Techniques (ISERST), where he advised the Presidency of the Republic and various ministries on renewable energy, natural disaster management, job creation, and poverty alleviation, among other issues. Dr. Abchir's track record reflects impactful leadership in partnership building and resource mobilization across various critical sectors such as elections, peacebuilding, sustainable development, and resilience building. His technical acumen in crisis recovery, disaster risk reduction, climate change, and natural resource management, coupled with a knack for fostering South-South cooperation, underscores his holistic approach to development challenges.

Moreover, Dr. Abchir's familiarity with issues in Central, East, and Horn of Africa bolsters his network with regional institutions, highlighting his adeptness in representing UNDP's interests and fostering regional collaboration. Fluent in English, French, and Somali, and moderate in Arabic, his multicultural background and passion for African development positions UNDP favorably in engaging with host governments and regional stakeholders.

Ms. Hamida R. Lasseko was appointed the UNICEF Representative in South Sudan on 23 January 2021. Ms. Lasseko brings with her more than 24 years of dedicated professional technical experience in the development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of UNICEF’s programmes and operational management.

Since October 2015 and until her appointment as the Representative in South Sudan, Ms, Lasseko assumed two positions in UNICEF Iraq starting as the Deputy Representative from 2015 to 2018, and as the Representative until December 2020, where she has been providing overall management and coordination of UNICEF’s development and humanitarian country programmes and operations in Iraq.

Prior to her arrival in Iraq in 2015, Ms. Lasseko was the UNICEF Deputy Representative in Damascus, Syria. She first joined UNICEF as a national Project Officer based in Kigoma, Tanzania, where she provided technical guidance and oversight of programming in primary health care and early childhood development for Burundian and Rwandese refugees in Western Tanzania from 1996 to 2001, and later as an Emergency Officer from 2001 to 2005, where she effectively contributed to the improvement of emergency preparedness and response procedures.

From 2005 to 2007, Ms. Lasseko assumed the position of UNICEF Programme Specialist based in Ampara, Sri Lanka where she led and supervised UNICEF’s post-Tsunami emergency response programme. From 2007 to 2011, she was responsible for the formulation, planning, design, implementation and evaluation of the UNICEF humanitarian and development programmes in her capacity as the Chief of Central Region Zone Office based in UNICEF Kabul, Afghanistan. Ms. Lasseko then assumed the position of UNICEF Chief Field Office for operations in Mogadishu and in Gaalkacyo, Somalia during the period from 2011 to 2013.

Ms. Hamida Lasseko is a national of Tanzania and holds an advanced degree (Master of Science) in Sociology
from Commonwealth Open University in the United Kingdom, and an advanced Diploma in Nursing Education
from Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Musa Yerro Gassama is a Gambian national. He holds a PhD and master’s degrees in Public Policy and Administration, Walden University, USA as well a Bachelor of Laws and Barrister-At-Law, SierraLeone.

He has served in his country as a Magistrate from 1994 to 2000 before joining international human rights organizations from 2000 to 2008. He joined the United Nations in 2008. He has served as representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and head of the OHCHR Country office in Togo (2008-2010), as OHCHR regional representative for East Africa and to the African Union in Addis Ababa (2010-2013), as representative of OHCHR and chief of Human Rights Section in UNSOM, Somalia (2013-2014), as representative of OHCHR and chief of Human Rights Section in MINUSCA, in Central African Republic (2014-2020) and currently as representative of OHCHR and Director of Human Rights Division in UNMISS, South Sudan.

Mr. Peterson Magoola is a gender equality champion, and a specialist in women’s rights and development. He has over 18 years’ senior level experience on global policy issues and programmes on gender equality, women empowerment, and development.

Prior to his appointment as a Representative for UN Women in South Sudan, Peterson has been the Country Representative a.i for UN Women in Moldova, also covering Belarus (Dec 2019 – Nov 2020). Prior to that, he served as the Deputy Country Representative for UN Women in Afghanistan (2017-2019), which is one of UN Women’s biggest operations globally. He was also the Deputy Country Representative for UN Women in Liberia (2014-2017). His role in these senior positions, was to provide strategic leadership and management of country programmes, with focus on women, peace and security; ending violence against women, women participation and representation; and on women economic empowerment. His experience also includes policy advocacy, programmes development/implementation, partnerships and coordination, and overall management.

He held similar senior leadership, technical, and operational roles with other UN agencies, and NGOs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific such as UNDP- Papua New Guinea; UNDP - Namibia); and managed development, humanitarian and peace building programmes with HelpAge in Sudan, IRC in Liberia, VSO in Bangladesh, and ACFODE in Uganda. He holds a Masters’ degree in Public Health; Bachelors in Economics, and Education.

The African Development Bank Group appointed Themba Bhebhe as Country Manager, South Sudan Country Office with effective from 1 October 2021.
As Country Manager, Mr. BHEBHE will lead the Bank’s business development and delivery for sovereign, non-sovereign investment and provide advisory services in South Sudan. He will support Bank’s teams in executing transactions, managing and expanding portfolios, and lead in executing projects and relevant work-programs, inclusive of the Bank’s High 5 priority areas, among other things.
Mr. BHEBHE, who is a Zimbabwean national, joined the Bank in 2002. He brings to this role 30 years’ extensive experience (21 years with the Bank) predominantly in country programming, project design, portfolio management, economic policy formulation and analysis, and multilateral institutions’ operations review and approval business processes.

Since joining the Bank, he served as Advisor to the Executive Director covering five Southern Countries, (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe); Senior Country Economist and Principal Country Program Officer covering Zambia; Chief Operations Officer in the Operations Committee and Quality Assurance Department. He also served as Officer In Charge for opening and operationalization of the Zambia Country Office (2006 – 2007).

Prior to his career in the Bank, he served in the Government of Zimbabwe in the Ministry of Finance as an Economist, in the Public Sector Investment Program, rising to Senior, Principal & Chief Economist, after which he became an Advisor to the Minister.

Mr. BHEBHE hold a Masters Degree in Development Economics from the Center for Development Economics at Williams College in the United States of America.

Vijaya SOURI was appointed Chief of Mission in South Sudan in May 2024. Having joined IOM in 2004, she has held various positions, including Chief of Mission in Burundi, Chief of Mission a.i. in Mauritania and Côte d’Ivoire.

Ms. Souri also served as senior technical advisor in regional security and stability at the IOM regional office for West and Central Africa based in Dakar following an assignment to IOM headquarters in Geneva as migrant protection officer.