Steering Committee

Ali Haraj is an expert consultant in corporate finance, strategy, organization, and management, and the Founder & President of PRIMO Consulting, established in July 2010. The firm supports companies in transformation projects, including business development, performance improvement, restructuring, succession, and the pursuit of industrial or financial partnerships. PRIMO Consulting also provides guidance to executives and managers in change management and the adoption of technological innovations. Prior to founding PRIMO Consulting, Ali Haraj held leadership positions in several companies, serving as CEO of Wafa Assurance from 2018 to 2025 and CEO of Ténor Group from 2024 to 2025.

Dieynaba Kamara is a Partner at Joliba Capital, a generalist private equity firm investing primarily in SMEs across Francophone West (UEMOA) and Central Africa (CEMAC). Previously, she served as COO & Head of Investor Relations, playing a key role in raising approximately €89 million from investors including the IFC, FMO, Swedfund, and DFC. She was also instrumental in establishing Joliba Capital’s ESMS framework and fund structures, demonstrating long-standing commitment to the firm’s growth and success.

Gwendoline ABUNAW is the Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon, subsidiary of the leading Pan African financial services group present in 35 countries on the Continent. She is equally the Cluster Head for the CEMAC region covering 6 Ecobank affiliates including Cameroon, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic. On June 2022, she became the first female President of the Cameroonian Banking and Financial Institutions’ Association known by its French acronym APECCAM, main entity representing all the banks and financial institutions in Cameroon. Her tenure as Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon has been marked by the successful execution of Ecobank Group’s digital transformation strategy with outstanding results year-on-year. Her ascension unto the role of CEMAC Cluster Head overseeing all 6 countries and her leadership have made her a role model for women in the region. She was recently recognized as the Woman of the Year 2023 in the banking and finance sector of the CEMAC region at the African Finance Banking and Digital Summit in Brazzaville, Congo in January 2024. With over 20 years of banking experience, she has occupied C-suite roles since 2011, including Head of Corporate Banking for Cameroon with coverage of 6 other countries in central Africa, Deputy Managing Director and later, Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon. In addition to her role as Managing Director for Cameroon and the CEMAC region, she is also a board member at Ecobank Cameroon, Ecobank Chad and E-Process International (Ecobank Technology Service Provider); as well as chairperson of the boards for Pan African Savings and Loans (Microfinance member of Ecobank Group), EDC Investment Corporation (Investment Bank member of Ecobank Group) and EDC Assets Management. Gwendoline ABUNAW is a holder of both a Bachelor of Science Degree in Banking and Finance from Buea University (Cameroon) and an MBA from the London Metropolitan University (UK). Prior to joining Ecobank Cameroon in 2011, she occupied several roles at both Standard Chartered Bank and Citibank. Mrs. ABUNAW is also a frequent speaker at conferences covering a range of topics, from women in leadership/empowerment; innovation/ digital transformation in the financial sector as well as youth engagement and technology.

Mohamed Ali is a partner at Deloitte Francophone Africa. He is the leader of the Financial Services Industry. He graduated from a High Business School and specializes in audit and consulting. Mohamed Ali has several years of experience in the financial sector (banking, insurance, and other financial services). He specializes in supporting the deployment of transformation projects, defining strategies, redesigning information systems, human capital, operational and commercial efficiency, and risk management.

Omar Cissé is the founder of InTouch, a financial transactions platform that processed 2,000 billion FCFA in operations in 2023. He now aims to expand the platform’s reach from 26 countries to across the entire African continent, making him one of Senegal’s most prominent tech entrepreneurs. A computer design engineer, Omar graduated from the École Supérieure Polytechnique de Dakar (2000) and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the Institut Supérieur du Management (2007).

Patty Karuaihe-Martin is the Chief Executive Officer of Namibia National Reinsurance Corporation Ltd (NamibRe). She has over 28 years of professional experience in the financial sector, including at PWC, where she served as Partner/Director of Tax and Advisory Services. She has worked and served on various boards of public institutions in the fields of finance, telecommunications, water, transport, and electricity.

Mr. Paul-Harry Aithnard is the Managing Director of Ecobank Cote d’Ivoire & Regional Executive, UEMOA since December 2018. Prior to this, he was Ecobank Group Head, Securities, Wealth and Asset Management since September 2012, in charge of brokerage, debt & equity capital markets as well as wealth and fund management activities. In this position, he has grown assets under management to $ 1Billion and has earned Ecobank the “Best Performing Broker in Africa” award, according to Africa Investor Magazine in 2015. Prior to this position, he was the Group Head Research of Ecobank Group from 2008 to 2014. Under his responsibility, the Research Division was awarded as the best “Research Team in Africa” over 3 consecutive years between 2011 and 2013. Prior to joining Ecobank, Paul-Harry worked in various positions between 2000 and 2008 with BBSP, a leading Investment Advisory firm located in Paris, Montreal and Singapore. As Global Head of Commodities, and Co-Head of Global Macro Advisory in Paris, Paul-Harry supervised all global macro and commodities research at BBSP and advised key institutional clients (Banks, Asset managers, Hedge funds) on investment strategies in various assets/markets, including commodities, fixed income, equity and currency markets in Africa. From 2000 to 2007, Paul-Harry was the Deputy Managing Director of the BBSP North American affiliate, in charge of Global Advisory and Sales. Paul-Harry holds a Master’s degree in History from Sorbonne Paris IV, a postgraduate Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Finance from HEC Montreal.

With 15+ years of leadership and hands-on experience across Africa, Europe, and North America, Thomas currently leads Strategy and Project Management at RAWBANK. Previously, he headed Strategy, Controlling, and Marketing at the same bank. His career spans Big 4 financial services firms, SMEs, regional and global investment banks, and startups. He advises CEOs and shareholders on growth strategy, M&A (buy- and sell-side), and board-level decision-making. Skilled in cross-cultural communication, he champions diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Career highlights include conceptualizing, commercializing, and successfully selling a disruptive startup to an investor.

Uzoma Dozie is one of Nigeria’s leaders in the financial sector and the last Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank, Nigeria. An experienced Financial Advisor, Economist, Technologist and Entrepreneur, Dozie has led the way in implementing large-scale technology solutions to drive sustainable economic reform in Africa’s financial services sector for over twenty years. Uzoma has since launched Sparkle, a mobile-first platform for Nigeria’s retail sector, combining his vision for using technology to power financial inclusion, at scale, with his extensive background in retail and financial services. Uzoma is an advocate for financial inclusion, focussing on providing best-of-breed financial and non-financial solutions to the millions of unbanked across Africa. He is bullish on the need for widespread mobile adoption in the finance sector. He is passionate about leveraging technology to play a definitive role in the social development and transformation of the people and businesses on the continent. He believes that technology, along with good governance, as well as support and education for SMEs, has the power to push Africa forward and continues to work towards this goal.