Our Team in Cameroon

Abdel Rahmane DIOP, is joining IOM Cameroon in the capacity of Chief of Mission. He was assigned to the Office of Director General as Liaison and Policy Officer for the Secretariat of the UN Network on Migration. He covers the GCM Champion Countries initiative and the UN Network on Migration thematic working groups related to Bilateral Labour Migration Agreement and Migrants’ Access to services.
Abdel Rahmane is a graduate of the Quebec Institute for Graduate Studies (HEI); University of Laval (Quebec, Canada), in addition to his diploma Public Law, International Relations from Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar, Senegal). Before joining IOM in 2013, he served at the United Nations Development Program and filled various research positions. Among main topics of interest, he lead researches on development policies and migration, human trafficking, migration and development and China-Africa relationships.
With almost a decade of experience in policy, multilateralism and project management, Abdel worked at the national and international levels for government, international organizations and civil society (including academia) in developing and developed country contexts (e.g. Burkina Faso, Belgium and Canada).

Mr. Alfredo LO CICERO, the new Head of Office and Programme Manager for UNOPS in Cameroon, took up his functions on February 20th, 2023 and has been officially accredited since March 8, 2023.
Mr. Lo Cicero has 24 years of experience in the regions of North Africa, Balkans, Middle East, Caribe - Haiti, West, East and Central Africa. A total of 9 countries on long missions, as well as several others on short notice.
In his previous roles, he held the position of Program Director, Deputy Head of Mission for the international non-governmental organizations as well as Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE, Weltungerhilfe, Save the Children, and Oxfam in Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso and Haiti. He also held the position of Head of Mission in South Sudan for CESVI, and previously served as Base Director for IOM in Haiti. Previously, he served as Governance Program Manager and Project Manager in Lebanon, Palestine, Albania and Tunisia.
He has also worked in the social services and childcare sector as Executive Director of a cooperative in Turin (Italy), and held the position of Partnership Manager and International Mediator for an international law firm based in London.
During his time as Program Director, Mr. Lo Cicero was particularly involved in bilateral programmatic and operational interconnections, such as between Haiti and the Dominican Republic (for Oxfam), between Burkina Faso, Mali and the Ivory Coast (for Save the Children), and between Lebanon and Syria (for Italian Cooperation). He has developed his skills in program management, mission management and business development.
Mr. Lo Cicero holds a University Diploma in Political Science / International Relations (Italy), two Masters in Geopolitics and Conflict Analysis (France), and an implementing study in Doctorate in Geopolitics from the University of Paris VIII. He also holds a diploma in International Mediation for Conflict Resolution.

Claude Yao Kouame, a national of Côte d'Ivoire, has worked for the International Labour Organization since 2003. His professional career, which spans some 35 years, has given him extensive experience at both national and international level.
A civil engineer from the Ecole Nationale Supérieur des Travaux Publics in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, he began his career in 1987 by consulting on international expertise for rural and industrial development in Côte d'Ivoire.
From 1989 to 1997, he devoted himself to research at the Centre de recherches architecturales et urbaines at the University of Abidjan. Mr. Yao Kouame obtained a Master of Science (MSc) in Project Management from the Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada in 1993, and became National Project Coordinator at the ILO's Office for Entente Council Countries in Abidjan in 1997. In 1999, he was appointed Head of the Municipal Operations Support Project, then Technical Advisor to the Director General of the Bureau National d'Etudes Techniques et de Développement (BNETD), reporting to the Ivorian Prime Minister's Office.
He joined the ILO in 2003 as Technical Specialist and International Expert on employment-intensive investment programs at the ILO Subregional Office for Central Africa in Yaoundé. In 2008, he joined the ILO Subregional Office for the Sahel in Dakar as Senior Technical Specialist for employment-intensive investment programs. He then transferred to the Employment Policy Department at ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where from 2019 to mid-November 2023, he held the position of Specialist in employment-intensive investment policies and programs.
Since November 15, 2023, Mr. Claude Yao Kouame has been Director of the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for Central Africa based in Yaoundé and ILO Country Office Director for Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tomé and Principe.

Mr. Jean-Jacques Massima-Landji, 58, has been the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Representative for Central Africa and Madagascar since 2009, with residence in Yaoundé. Previously, he worked at the organization's headquarters in Geneva and the African Regional Organization for Satellite Communication (RASCOM). Trained as telecommunications, computer, and electronics engineer, he has more than 33 years' experience in the field of ICT and computer science.

Ms. Aissata De, UNDP Resident Representative, has over 20 years’ experience with the UN and UNDP in the areas of governance, gender, electoral assistance, security sector reform, rule of law, transitional justice, human rights, recovery, and reintegration. Mrs. De served in Senegal (1992-1999), Mozambique (2000-2003), Cambodia (2003-2005) and later led UNDP election support in DRC as the Senior Elections Advisor (2005-2008). She has also served as Deputy Country Director-Programme in Burundi (2008-2012) and Côte d’Ivoire (2012-2015). Mrs. DE worked at Headquarters as Regional Advisor/Cluster leader for Central Africa in the Country Oversight Team at the Regional Bureau for Africa (2015-2019) and in The Gambia (2019-2023) as Resident Representative. She worked in three countries with DPKO/DPA missions during the last decade. She has a B.A in Political Science from University Laval, Canada and is fluent in French, English, Italian & Portuguese.

Mr. Athman Mravili, is a Comoran national and holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the National School of Veterinary Medicine, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia. Since 2009, Mr. Mravili has held several positions of responsibility, notably in Sudan, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea, and FAO's Sub Regional Office in Libreville, Gabon. He has over 20 years of experience in the areas of food security, humanitarian affairs, and livestock in Asia and Africa.

Dr. Phanuel Habimana is a doctor by training. He has 25 years of experience with WHO. Before his appointment in Cameroon, he was Chief of Health Programmes for Children, Adolescents, and Nutrition at the WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo.

Dr. Justin Koffi is a citizen of Côte d’Ivoire. He has a multidisciplinary background with more than twenty years of experience in the field of international development as Public Health physician with a Master Degree in Epidemiology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Medical Doctor Degree from the National University of Côte d'Ivoire.

Former expert at the National Institute of Health in the USA, he was respectively Technical Director of the National AIDS Control Program of Côte d'Ivoire and Resident Advisor of the USAID Family Health and AIDS Prevention Project for Côte d'Ivoire. He was previously UNFPA Country Representative in Togo. Since October 2015 he was the Director of the Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD), a joint World Bank, UNFPA, ECOWAS and African Union as well as nine West and Central African countries project.

Before that he served as the Executive Secretary of the Abidjan – Lagos CORRIDOR PROJECT for ten years. He also successively held the position of Resident Advisor of the USAID funded Family Health and Sti/Hiv/AIDS Project (FHA) in Côte d'Ivoire, Technical Director of Ivorian National AIDS & TB Control Program. Dr. Justin KOFFI has also been trained in gender and development, project anagement, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Dr Justin Koffi successfully managed programs focused on social marketing, reproductive health/FP, maternal child health, and STI/HIV, Human Capital Development, Women empowerment and Demographic Dividend. He has extensive experience with bilateral and multilateral donors and various private sector entities. In addition to his knowledge of the WCA landscape, he has demonstrated excellent skills in relationship building with key partners, and a robust understanding of various donor’s policies, procedures and requirements.

Dr Justin Koffi carries his expertise in private sector business development, public health project design implementation, supply chain management, capacity building, behavior change communication, community based interventions, operations research, monitoring & evaluation, fundraising, and negotiation.

Dr. Justin Koffi is the author of several publications and communications in the areas of public health, gender, population and development, women's empowerment, generational economics and the demographic dividend.

Emime Ndihokubwayo was appointed Interim Head of the Central African Hub and Country Director/Representative of IFAD Country office in Yaoundé from January 1st 2021. The Hub covers DRC, Cameroon, Congo, Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa Republic, and Sao Tome and Principe. Emime brings to IFAD a rich work- experience of more than 20 years in rural development in Africa and beyond from various organisational settings to include experience with central Governments, Regional, pan African institutions and International organizations. Born in Burundi, Emime Ndihokubwayo holds a Master's Degree in Governance and Development from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, a B.A. in Law from the University of Burundi, and Executive Leadership and Management Certificate from Syracuse University, New York, USA.

Mr Ferrera is a seasoned professional with extensive background in international relations, economics, humanitarian, and development issues. He holds a Post Graduate Degree in International European Relations from the University of Amsterdam and a Degree in Economics from the University of Turin, Italy.

Fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, Mr Ferrera most recently led the Food Systems and Smallholder Support Unit at the World Food Programme (WFP) Headquarters in Rome, prior to his appointment as WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Cameroon, Sao Tome, and Principe. Since 2017, he has been instrumental in producing corporate guidance and providing technical support to WFP’s Country Offices and Regional Bureaus, with a focus on advancing smallholder agricultural market support programmes and reducing post-harvest losses.

From 2012 to 2016, Ferrera was the Country Director for WFP in Côte d’Ivoire, managing relief and recovery operations and spearheading programmes in school feeding, livelihoods strengthening, and nutrition. As Deputy Country Director for WFP in Niger (2008-2011) and Madagascar (2003-2008), he oversaw emergency operations and led initiatives to improve human capital and nutrition. In Mozambique (2000-2003), he coordinated emergency flood operations and managed helicopter relief efforts.

During his tenure in Mozambique (2000–2003), Mr Ferrera coordinated emergency flood relief operations and managed helicopter relief efforts. He also led WFP’s offices in Kosovo (1999–2000) and served as a Junior Professional Officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1997–1999), coordinating rehabilitation projects and conducting food security surveys.

Mr Ferrera began his career as a Programme Officer with APS in Italy, administering relief and development programmes across Latin America and Africa through field missions.

Jean Luc Mastaki Namegabe is an economist with a PhD in rural economics from the University of Liège, Belgium, and over 20 years' experience in researching, formulating and evaluating development policies in Africa, at sub-regional, regional and national levels.

He is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was born there in 1972. He joined the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in December 2004 as part of the Young Professionals Program (formerly National Competitive Examination).

Over the past fifteen years, he has held a number of different positions: economic affairs officer in the former Sustainable Development Division at ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), then economist in the subregional offices for Southern Africa in Lusaka (Zambia) and for West Africa in Niamey (Niger). He was subsequently seconded as Senior Economist and Team Leader in charge of trade and markets for tropical products at the FAO Trade and Markets Division (EST) in Rome (Italy).

On his return to the ECA, Mr Mastaki was posted to Yaoundé successively as Principal Economist and Head of the Economic Diversification Policy Support Section. He was interim Director of the Sub-Regional Office for Central Africa between November 2021 and April 2023.

Prior to his recruitment at the Economic Commission for Africa, Jean Luc Mastaki was Professor in the Faculties of Economics at the Université Officielle de Bukavu (UOB) and other higher education institutions in eastern DRC, where he made a major contribution to research and teaching in economics and development policy.


Mr. Mastaki has played an important role in the development, implementation and evaluation of industrialization and economic diversification policies for Central African countries. In Cameroon, he contributed to the review of the Industrialization Master Plan (PDI), the development of the National Strategy for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf), as well as the piloting of other institutional support for public entities and the private sector. In line with the Bureau's mandate relating to industrialization and economic diversification, he brings with him an in-depth knowledge of Central Africa's development issues, challenges and opportunities, as well as an ability to design and implement solutions that effectively address some of our member states' development concerns and priorities.

Karen Perrin has over 20 years of experience in humanitarian affairs, particularly in conflict and post-conflict settings. Prior to her appointment to Cameroon in January 2022, she worked with OCHA as Deputy Head of Office in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Central African Republic, as well as at OCHA’s headquarters in New York as an advisor on humanitarian access issues. She also worked on protection of civilian populations with the Peacekeeping mission in Sudan. Before joining the United Nations, she worked with international NGOs. She was Head of mission in different countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Horn of Africa, where she led emergency and recovery operations. She holds Masters’ degrees in Political science (International relations) from the Paris institute of political studies, and in Project evaluation.

Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin is joining UNWOMEN office in Cameroun as Resident Representative after 26 years of extensive experience on Programme and Policy development/Management, including 22 years working on Gender mainstreaming in programmes and policies.
Prior of joining UNWOMEN Cameroon, Raky held the position of Deputy Country Representative of UNWOMEN in Mali (2020- 2023). Before UNWOMEN, she held the position of Deputy Chief of the MINUSMA Gender Unit in Mali (2018-2020). Previously, Raky has served as Regional Gender Advisor for WFP (World Food Programme Regional Gender Advisor (2016-2019) and covered West and Central Africa region at WFP Regional Bureau Dakar. Her former positions include Country Programme coordinator for UNWOMEN in Senegal (2012-2016) and Coordinator of the UN Trust fund as well as UNSG’s Campaign on EVAW for UNIFEM Regional office WCARO – (2009-2012). Raky who is a native of Senegal started her carrier with international NGOs (Belgian and Canadian) in the field of Rural Development and GEWE before joining the UN system in 2009. Raky hold a Master’s degree as well as DEA in Sociology (University of Gaston Berger, Saint Louis), and a Master Degree in Human rights Peace and Security (Universitty Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar) and a Certificate on Women Studies (University of Antwerpen, Belgium).

Born in Haiti, Ms. Perrault held many positions in UNICEF. She also worked at the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama. Before this position, she worked at UNICEF Headquarters in New York as Protection of the Rights of the Child Officer and as Program Officer responsible for the Human Rights Group in the Policy and Practice Division. Nadine Perrault served as UNICEF Representative in El Salvador. Before her appointment in Cameroon, she held the same position in Guinea-Bissau. Ms Perrault brings more than twenty-five years of significant experience in various capacities.
Nadine Perrault has a background in the field of Law, with a specialization in Child Protection and expertise in, human rights and gender

Nouhoum Sangaré (Mali) took office on August 8, 2022 as Regional Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa (UNCHRD-CA).

Prior to his appointment, he was the Representative and Head of Offices of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali since February 2017.

From 2004 to 2017, Mr. Sangaré served in several United Nations entities, including as Civil Affairs Officer in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) from 2004 to 2005, and in the New York Office between 2011 and 2015, where he was Coordinator for Development Issues and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He was also a member of the Official Delegation to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20. Finally, he was Head of the Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) between 2008 and 2009. Prior to his appointment as Representative/Head of ICC Offices in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, he was Senior Technical Advisor and Coordinator of the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering Support Project at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Gabon between 2015 and 2017.

A career diplomat, Nouhoum Sangaré previously worked as a Foreign Affairs Advisor from 1998 to 2004 at the Political Affairs Directorate of Mali's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where he was Chief of the UN and Specialized Agencies Section. He also served as Mali's delegate to the Third Committee in charge of social, humanitarian and cultural issues, including human rights, and to the First Committee dealing with disarmament and international security issues at the 55th (2000) and 56th (2001) sessions of the UN General Assembly.

He holds a Master's degree in Legal Sciences from the Ecole Nationale d'Administration de Bamako (Mali) and a Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées en Droits de l'Homme from the University of Nantes (France).

Director of the Multisectoral Regional Office for Central Africa in Yaoundé (Cameroon) and UNESCO Representative to Cameroon, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe.
Prior to his appointment he was Deputy Director of IIEP. Economics of education, education sector analysis, sample surveys on learning outcomes. As Deputy Director of IIEP, Paul Coustère has contributed to the achievement of the Institute's goals and objectives, notably through the promotion of an integrated approach to capacity development, which includes training, research and technical assistance in the field of educational policy-making, planning and management.
Mr. Coustère began his career as an educational economist. His first area of specialisation was the design and analysis of sample surveys of learning outcomes. He first worked in Washington DC as an in-house consultant for the World Bank, then in Dakar as Head of the Programme for Educational Systems Analysis (PASEC) of the Conference of Ministers of Education of French-speaking countries (CONFEMEN).
In 2000, he joined the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Head of the Office of Basic Education and Literacy. He was involved in the launch of the Fast-Track Initiative (now GPE, Global Partnership for Education) during the French Presidency of the G8 in 2002-2003. He also led the deliberations with UNESCO to create the Pôle de Dakar (Senegal), a platform of expertise in education policy analysis, which is now part of the IIEP, becoming its first coordinator in 2004.
From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Coustère was Head of the Education and Training Division (AFD, 2009) and coordinated the French Secretariat of the G20 Development Working Group during the French G20 Presidency (MAE, 2011). From 2013 to 2014, Mr. Coustère was Head of the Country Support Team at the GPE Secretariat in Washington DC.
Beyond his responsibilities, Mr. Coustère analysed developments in the field of education economics, participated in the development of education sector analysis tools and contributed to the operationalisation of the post-2015 education agenda.
Academically, Mr. Coustère is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure (Paris). He holds an Academic Degree of Aggregate in Economic and Social Sciences, a master’s degree in Tropical Geography, and another master’s in international Relations from the Sorbonne University, Paris I.

Raoul BERSHA is a certified Project Manager and a Monitoring & Evaluation specialist with over twelve (12) years of experience in international development and has led implementation of grant aid projects/programmes in health, education, and I.T sectors. He worked for (ten years with) the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) where he held several positions of Volunteer Program Coordinator, project coordinator, Project Specialist and Lead for the Project Management team until his departure in early 2022.
Before his appointment as Country Coordinator for UNV programme on April 1, 2024, and as Partnerships development specialist, he led country partnership portfolio for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Cameroon.
He is a jurist, holder of a master’s degree in law (focus on Mining, Oil and Gas) and currently a Ph. D student in Law as well.

Raymond Tavares has over 25 years work experience in innovation management, technology development, quality infrastructure for international trade and development. Tavares holds a PhD in Industrial Economics and a Masters on Innovation Management.
In recent years, Raymond Tavares has managed projects and programmes aiming at assisting UNIDO member states in their inclusion process in the NIR and the future of manufacturing. Since 2020, Raymond Tavares is the UNIDO Representative in Cameroon and Central African countries.

Mr. Taoufik Bakkali Joined the United Nations in Cameroon as country Director for UN- AIDs since April 2023. He brings over 27 years of experience in development cooperation in education and health including over twenty years working on strategy and evidence-based programming on health and HIV at global, regional, and country levels. Through a rich experience with various bilateral and multilateral organizations and technical agencies in several countries, Mr. Bakkali has led the design and delivery of evidence-based strategies, ca- pacity building initiatives and technical assistance programs in partnership with governments, international organizations, academic institutions, civil society and community groups us- ing his strong expertise in strategic information, knowledge management, strategy planning and programme management.
Mr Bakkali’s most recent assignment was with the UNAIDS Regional support Team for Asia and the Pacific as Regional Director ai after being a Senior Regional Programme Advisor in charge of Strategic Information for over 5 years. Mr Bakkali is a national of Morocco. He holds a Master in Demography and Statistics from the national institute of Statistics and Applied Economics in Rabat, Morocco and a university diploma in Public Health from University Henry Point Carré, Nancy, France. Mr Bakkali speaks fluently English, French and Arabic and has basic communication skills in Spanish.






















Mr Taoufik Bakkali Joined the United Nations in Cameroon as country Director for UN- AIDs since April 2023. He brings over 27 years of experience in development cooperation in education and health including over twenty years working on strategy and evidence-based programming on health and HIV at global, regional, and country levels. Through a rich experience with various bilateral and multilateral organizations and technical agencies in several countries, Mr Bakkali has led the design and delivery of evidence-based strategies, ca- pacitybuilding initiatives and technical assistance programs in partnership with governments, international organizations, academic institutions, civil society and community groups us- ing his strong expertise in strategic information, knowledge management, strategy planning and programme management.
Mr Bakkali’s most recent assignment was with the UNAIDS Regional support Team for Asia and the Pacific as Regional Director ai after being a Senior Regional Programme Advisor in charge of Strategic Information for over 5 years. Mr Bakkali is a national of Morocco. He holds a Master in Demography and Statistics from the national institute of Statistics and Applied Economics in Rabat, Morocco and a university diploma in Public Health from University Henry Point Carré, Nancy, France. Mr Bakkali speaks fluently English, French and Arabic and has basic communication skills in Spanish.

Mrs. Yvette MUHIMPUNDU has been working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since 1999. With a career spanning more than 25 years, she has demonstrated the leadership in the humanitarian field with a consistent commitment to protecting and finding solutions for forcibly displaced persons in complex contexts.
Prior to her appointment as UNHCR Representative in Cameroon, Mrs. Muhimpundu held the position of Senior Protection Coordinator at UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa in Dakar since 2021.
Her previous experiences in UNHCR includes, among other roles, a mission at UNHCR headquarter in Geneva (2020-2021), where she led the Inter-Agency and Coordination section; a position of Deputy Representative in charge of Protection in Niger from 2018 to 2020; and a significant role as Senior Protection Officer in the UNHCR Representation in Niger (2012-2015) and Burkina Faso (2015-2018).
Mrs. Muhimpundu holds a master’s degree in international law and has also been involved in complex operations in regions such as the Great Lakes, the Horn of Africa and the Central Africa.