Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Grace Ongile

Dr. Grace Atieno Ongile joined NEPAD Kenya Secretariat as Chief Executive Officer in 2005. She holds a Doctorate from University of Manchester , U.K. Since she joined NEPAD, she has coordinated the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process in Kenya . Contributed towards the Kenya APRM Self Assessment Report. Her recent work also includes coordination of a research program on "International Trade and Gender in East Africa " from 1999 to 2004. This research was funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and got Institutional support from Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) Tanzania .

From 1999-2005, Dr. Ongile worked as a Senior Programme Officer, Eastern and Southern Africa, The African Capacity Building Foundation, Harare, (ACBF) Zimbabwe where she successfully managed ACBF projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe. During her six years at the ACBF, she gained vast practical experience.

During this time, Dr. Ongile also participated in the Change Management at the Foundation by chairing and participating actively within the change management: communications plan, rewards and recognition, team building and problem solving, leadership and time management training, management team building retreat, cultural change plan and implementation, value and vision statements, morale index survey and knowledge network activities.

In addition, Dr. Ongile was also a member of the ACBF Knowledge Management/Core Competence Team overseeing the operation of the Foundation's Technical Advisory Panel and Network on Economic Policy Analysis and Management. She was the Team Leader for Knowledge Management Benchmarking Mission to the United Kingdom , where she contributed to the development of the Foundation's Knowledge Management Strategy.

She has also been a Researcher/Lecturer at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya; Planning Officer-Long Range Planning Unit, Ministry of Planning and National Development and Statistical Officer- Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and National Development. She has several publications.