Dr. Vera Songwe is a globally respected economist and development finance leader, with a career spanning the multilateral, public and private sectors across Africa, Europe and North America. She served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), becoming the first woman to lead the organisation in its history, driving reforms on macroeconomic stability, private sector growth and the African Continental Free Trade Area. Prior to that she held senior leadership roles at the World Bank and the IFC, managing multi-billion-dollar portfolios and championing fiscal policy, economic governance and innovative development finance across Africa and beyond. She holds a PhD in Mathematical Economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain.

Vera is Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, a financial mechanism designed to improve liquidity for emerging markets and support climate finance, and Co-Chair of the Independent High-Level Expert Panel on Climate Finance. She is a board member of GFANZ, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, and a senior advisor to the Bank for International Settlements on financial stability and regulatory innovation. Vera has been a Member of the GIB Board since 2026, and brings to that role an exceptional combination of macroeconomic expertise, climate finance leadership and deep knowledge of development finance in emerging markets.

Other current positions: Chair and Founder, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility; Board Member, GFANZ Advisory Board; Board Member, Geneva Graduate Institute; Council Member, Mo Ibrahim Foundation; Council Member, The Rockefeller Foundation Climate Advisory Council; Council Member, SDSN Leadership Council; Board Member, European Investment Bank (EIB) Global Advisory Council; Board Member, GDN (Global Development Network); Board Member, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Foundation; Council Member, GEAPP Leadership Council; Board Member, Lightrock Strategic Advisory Board; Member, International Economic Association Executive Committee; Board Member, Teleperformance Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.

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Links:
LSE Gratham Institute
Brookings
Concordia
We Forum
UN ECA

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Publications and Speeches:
TED Talk: The African Swamp Protecting Earth's Environment
A New Role in the Development Landscape - Norad Conference 2025