Nardos Bekele-Thomas

Biography

Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the first woman to hold the role. Over four decades she has become a transformative force in African development, driving the continent's Agenda 2063 vision of a united, prosperous and self-reliant Africa. Since 2022 she has grown AUDA-NEPAD from a $30 million agency into a $300 million institution and, now in her second term from April 2026, aims to reach $1 billion by 2028. Under her leadership the Agency anchors Agenda 2063's Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan and has launched instruments such as the African Infrastructure Guarantee Mechanism and partnerships with Afreximbank and the African Development Bank. Appointed to the Supervisory Board of the Global Center on Adaptation (2025) and as Champion of the Global Water Infrastructure Investment Council, she places African priorities at the centre of global climate and water agendas. Previously UN Resident Coordinator in South Africa, Kenya and Benin, and Senior Director in the Office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, she holds a Master's from New York University and is fluent in Amharic, French and English.