Our Team in Nigeria

Mr. Mohamed M. Malick Fall of Senegal is the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria.
Mr. Fall has more than 20 years of experience in development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding. Prior to his appointment, he served as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, where he provided oversight and guidance to 21 UNICEF Countries Offices, including on the formulation and implementation of the Country Programme Documents, the UN Reform process, and the engagement with the Regional and Economic Commission and African Union and the private sector. Furthermore, he has led the response to multiples and complex crisis with massive humanitarian needs and high security challenges, and managed the strategic review of the country documents, research and knowledge-management related activities, ensuring that the results are used to inform programme and policies.
Before that, he served as Unicef representative in Nigeria (2016-2019), Central African Republic (2014-2016) and Mongolia (2012-2014), as their Senior Education Adviser in Haiti (2010-2012), and as Chief of Education in Indonesia (2006-2010) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (2003-2006). He was also temporarily assigned as Education Officer (2001-2003).
Mr Mohamed M. Malick Fall has a master’s degree in Demography from Université de Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne – France and a B.A. Degree in History (Licence d'Histoire) from Université de Dakar – Sénégal.

Philbert Abaka JOHNSON is a seasoned West African diplomat with over three decades of multilateral experience. As Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, he chaired the IAEA Board, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, FINGOV, and the African Group, advancing African positions on nuclear governance, crime and
sustainable development. In New York, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative and Chargé d’Affaires, leading negotiations on UNGA resolutions and the 2030 Agenda. As Head of the ECOWAS Office in Ghana and Chair of the Administration and Finance Committee of ECOWAS, he promoted regional integration and
economic diplomacy. His career reflects expertise in coalition building, negotiation, and Africa’s global advocacy.

Arjun Jain has been serving as the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nigeria since April 2023, leading the organization’s efforts to advance protection and solutions for refugees, internally displaced persons, and returnees. A senior humanitarian leader with more than twenty‑seven years of experience, he oversees UNHCR’s strategic engagement with government counterparts, humanitarian and development partners, the private sector, and civil society to strengthen responses to displacement and support community resilience.
Since joining UNHCR in 1998, he has held leadership, policy, and protection roles across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and UN Headquarters. His assignments have included postings in India, Tanzania, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iran, and the Regional Office in Thailand. He has also served in Geneva and New York, contributing to global protection policy, emergency operations, and major intergovernmental processes, including support to the negotiations leading to the New York Declaration.
Over the course of his career, he has been deployed to more than ten humanitarian emergency missions in contexts of conflict and natural disaster, several of which he led.
An Indian national, Arjun graduated with a law degree (with honours) from the National Law School of India University in Bangalore, India.

Ms. Beatrice Eyong, a Cameroonian national, is the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria. She has over 35 years professional working experience in promoting gender equality and Women’s Empowerment. Prior to her current appointment, she was the Resident Representative of UN Women, Mali (office with the biggest UN Women’s portfolio in West and Central Africa); Head of UNWOMEN Office in Niger; and she established the Eastern DRC Office in Bukavu. Beatrice has also worked with the Canadian Cooperation Support Office in Cameroon, as a Gender Specialist/Adviser and with UNDP as an agronomist working with the Africa 2000 Network, a UNDP micro-programme in Cameroon. She holds a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Reading, United Kingdom; a Diploma in Women, Extension workers and Agriculture from the Larenstein International Agricultural college – Deventer, the Netherlands; and a Diploma in Integrated Rural Development, from the Pan African Institute for Development West Africa, Buea – Cameroon.

Before his current assignment, Gomez was the Deputy Director of the Department of Water Resources and Permanent Representative of The Gambia with WMO. His current portfolio involves working with regional institutions and development partners to strengthen the capacity and capabilities of National Hydrological and Meteorological Services in 27 countries. This involves providing support towards timely exchange of data and the provision of weather, climate and water resources information services, to stakeholders in climate-sensitive sectors. He holds a MSc. in Applied and Agricultural Meteorology. He is married with children and his hobbies include reading, swimming and keeping abreast with current affairs.

Cheikh Ousmane Toure is the Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to Nigeria. Cheikh brings over two decades of experience in combating crime, corruption, and supporting drug control efforts globally. His appointment marks an important phase in the UNODC’s collaboration with Nigeria, enhancing its mission to promote security, justice, and development His extensive experience across diverse nations, including Chad, South Sudan, DRC, Palestine, Lao PDR, Gabon, Nigeria, and Cote d'Ivoire, has been instrumental in fortifying legal frameworks, bolstering law enforcement capabilities including in border management, and fostering community resilience. He holds a bachelor's degree from Institut Superieur de Management in Dakar and a master's in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, equipping him to tackle complex global challenges. His leadership is expected to introduce innovative strategies for drug control, anti-corruption, and criminal justice reforms, aligning Nigeria’s efforts with broader regional goals in West and Central Africa. Cheikh's extensive background positions him as a transformative leader capable of driving meaningful change in international development and criminal justice.

Mrs. Dede Ahoefa EKOUE, the new Country Director/Representative for IFAD in Nigeria, has over 20 years of experience in management and leadership positions with UNDP, UN-WOMEN, including interim leadership positions with FAO and UNIDO.
From 2018 until January 2022, she was the UN-Women Country Representative in Haiti. From 2007 to 2010, Mrs. Ekoue was Deputy Resident Representative Program and Operations for UNDP in Cameroon. Between 1996 and 2007, she served as Africa Relationship Manager of Women’s World Banking in New York, USA. She assumed several international leadership functions including co-Chair for the International Development Association (IDA-World Bank)‘s 18th Replenishment and Chair of the Organizing Committee of the 16th United States– sub Sahara African Trade and Economic Cooperation (AGOA) Forum. Mrs. Ekoue was a three-time Minister in the Republic of Togo between 2010 and 2015.
She holds a Bachelor degree in Economics with major in Business Management in 1986, at the University of Benin in Togo, a Graduate Degree in International Finance and Taxation in 1987 at the University of Lille, France, and a Master’s in Business Administration in 1993 at the Jackson State University, USA.

Dr. Pavel Ursu, a dual citizen of Romania and Moldova, has over 20 years of experience with WHO, including roles in Emergency Health Services and his national Ministry of Health. From 2020 to 2025, he was Director of the Department of Delivery for Impact at WHO Headquarters in Geneva. He holds a Master of Science and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a Master’s in Health Services Management, and a Diploma in High Impact Leadership from Cambridge. He served as WHO Representative in Tajikistan (2010–2015) and Türkiye (2015–2020), earning a WHO Director-General’s Award in 2017 for leading the refugee crisis response. Between 2001 and 2010, he held various WHO management roles in Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. Dr. Ursu champions data-driven, multi-stakeholder approaches to health equity, focusing on vulnerable populations and accelerating progress toward health-related SDGs.

Mr. Edwin Faigmane is the Chief of the Mine Action Programme, representing UNMAS in Nigeria. He joined UNMAS in 2011 as the Senior Programme Officer in Afghanistan and has deployed to various peacekeeping missions. Before Nigeria, he was the Head of Project Unit in the UNMAS programme in MINURSO, the Territory of Western Sahara, where he also acted as the CMAP for almost half a year. Edwin joined mine action in 2005 with UNDP in Lao PDR as a programme advisor and was more recently, the Chief Technical Adviser of the UNDP mine action programme in Cambodia. Edwin has assisted the Royal Thai Government and the Royal Cambodian Government in developing their respective national mine action strategies as well as Cambodia's extension request under Article 5 of the AP Mine Ban Convention. For the services he rendered to Cambodia, he was awarded the Royal Order of Sahametrei by the Cambodian Prime Minister. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration.

Dr. Hussein Gadain is the FAO Representative in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, leading the Food and Agriculture Organization’s strategic, technical and operational engagement across one of Africa’s largest and most complex humanitarian–development contexts. A seasoned international development expert with more than 35 years of experience across Africa and the Arab region, he has dedicated his career to advancing sustainable agriculture, water and land resources management, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and food security.
Before his appointment to Nigeria, Dr. Gadain held senior leadership and technical positions within FAO and other international organizations, contributing to high-impact programmes in Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Yemen, and the Gulf region. He has led major initiatives on irrigation development, early warning systems, resilience building, agro-climatic adaptation, and integrated natural resource management. His work has directly supported governments, communities, and development partners in addressing drought, food crises, and climate-induced shocks.
In Nigeria, Dr. Gadain oversees a diverse portfolio of national and regional programmes, and multi-sectoral collaborations with the Government of Nigeria, ECOWAS, donor agencies, UN partners, civil society, and the private sector. He plays a central role in policy dialogue, resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, and representation at the highest levels of government and the UN system.
Dr. Gadain is known for his strong leadership in organizational management, team development, and programme oversight. He also contributes regularly to high-level panels, media engagements, technical workshops, and multistakeholder dialogues focused on agriculture transformation, climate action, and resilience.
A Sudanese national, Dr. Gadain is multilingual and brings a mix of scientific expertise, policy experience, and field-based knowledge that reflects decades of service to communities across Africa and the Near East. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Water Resources Engineering and a B.Sc. in Civil and Hydraulic Engineering. He continues to champion evidence-based solutions and inclusive approaches for building resilient agri-food systems.

Jean-Paul Ngome Abiaga, a national of Gabon, is the Head of the UNESCO Office in Abuja and UNESCO Representative in Nigeria (ai) since October 2025. He has been with UNESCO since 2011, holding several leadership positions across regions and sectors, including Adviser to the Director-General (2023–2025), Chief of the Natural Sciences Sector in the Caribbean (2021–2023), and Deputy Executive Secretary of the International Basic Sciences Programme (2014–2018).
Throughout his career, Mr. Ngome Abiaga has contributed to strengthening UNESCO’s action in science, education, and policy dialogue, particularly for Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He has led and designed major initiatives such as the General History of Africa, the Afrimpulse Strategy for scientific research in Africa, the 2019 UNESCO International Water Conference, and the Global Recommendation on Open Science.
Before joining UNESCO, Mr. Ngome Abiaga was a University Lecturer and Researcher in Mathematical Physics at the University of Tours (France) and a Visiting Scientist at the Dutch National Institute for Subatomic Physics in Amsterdam, in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Physics from the University of Tours and has authored several publications in theoretical physics, science for sustainable development, and the history of science.

Mathias Spaliviero is a Geographer (PhD), Environmental Scientist (MSc) and specialist in Land Use and Regional Spatial Planning. He has been a staff of the United Nations since 2002 and lived in Africa for over 30 years cumulatively (Senegal, Tunisia, Mozambique and Kenya), having worked in over 30 countries in the continent. Mathias currently oversees UN-Habitat activities across 18 countries in the sub-Region including Nigeria as Head, UN-Habitat West Africa Hub.

Ms. Dimanche Sharon assumed her role as the Chief of Mission of IOM Nigeria in April 2025. With a career spanning over 20 years, Ms. Dimanche brings to Nigeria with her a wealth of experience and an outstanding record of accomplishment in strategic leadership, migration management, humanitarian operations, and advocacy.
Throughout her distinguished career, Ms. Dimanche has held several senior positions within IOM, including Deputy Chief of Mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In this role, she restructured the mission to improve efficiency and led the establishment of the UN Network for Migration and the Bangladesh GCM Plan of Action, the first such initiatives in the world. Ms. Dimanche has also managed large-scale projects across multiple countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Uganda, and played a key role in opening IOM offices in Mandera, in the northeast of Kenya.
Prior to joining IOM Nigeria, Ms. Dimanche held the position of Chief of Mission in Kenya.
Ms. Dimanche holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Laws from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, among other qualifications.

Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah is the UNDP Resident Representative for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Prior to this, she served as UNDP Resident Representative for Uganda from 2019-2023 where she led from the front and navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola outbreak and other development challenges of national and global significance.
Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah is a senior level United Nations executive and results-oriented development practitioner with over 25 years of global experience. She has led multicultural and multidisciplinary teams in Africa, Europe and America, engaging Governments, bilateral and multilateral organizations, civil society, private sector and research institutions at the highest levels across countries, particularly in Africa.
Her professional experience spans years of working with UNDP, the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Government Ministries, private sector, and civil society.

Ms. Elsie G. Attafuah holds a Masters Degree in International Affairs from the University of Ghana, a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma in Education from the University of Cape-Coast. She is a certified partnership broker.

Krittayawan (Tina) Boonto of Thailand brings 30 years of experience in development supporting governance, social policy, health systems strengthening and public-private partnership, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate efforts to reach the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 as a public health threat. Ms Boonto has extensive leadership experience at both country ­level and global role in policy development, programme coordination and resource mobilization. Previously, she served as UNAIDS Country Director in Ethiopia and Indonesia and as UNAIDS Efficiency and Resource Mobilization Adviser in Myanmar. In 2020, she was posted in Geneva, Switzerland as UNAIDS Coordinator for the development of the Global AIDS Strategy "Ending Inequalities - Ending AIDS 2021-2026". In her career span, Ms Boonto has worked at UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; UNICEF; and UNAIDS. Ms Boonto holds a Master's Degree in Management Information Systems from Assumption University, Thailand. She is fluent in English, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia and has basic command of French and Burmese. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing archery with her husband and daughter.

Ms. Muriel Mafico is UNFPA Representative for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She brings three decades of dedicated experience in international development across diverse regions, including the Arab States, Eastern Caribbean, and Southern Africa. For over two decades in the UN, she has driven impactful humanitarian and development programmes in population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health, social protection, gender equality, education, and youth empowerment. Appointed as UNFPA Country Representative in Nigeria in September 2025, she previously led operations in Syria, one of the world’s most complex protracted emergency, focusing on emergency reproductive health services, prevention of gender-based violence, partnerships, and alliance building, and strengthening midwifery networks. Ms. Mafico’s expertise will significantly advance UNFPA’s work in supporting Nigeria's efforts to achieve sustainable population management, universal access to reproductive health services, robust social protection, and gender equity. Prior to joining UNFPA, Ms. Mafico held various leadership roles at UNICEF in South Africa, the Eastern Caribbean, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe, focusing on child rights, health, social protection, and HIV/AIDS prevention. She also worked with UNDP-funded Poverty Reduction Forum at the Zimbabwe Institute of Development Studies. Ms. Mafico holds a Master's Degree in Development Management and a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

Ms. Vanessa Phala, a South African national was recently appointed Country Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prior to this appointment, she worked as a Senior Specialist (Employers’ Activities) at the ILO Office for the Caribbean, in Port of Spain. Before that, she undertook several leading roles in the public and private sectors from 2004 to 2016. She was the Executive Director in charge of Social and Transformation Policy at Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), a non-profit company representing organised business in South Africa. She also served as the Director of the Ethics and Integrity Management Unit and Special Anti-corruption Unit of the South African Department of Public Service and Administration. Her professional career began in 2004, as an Assistant Director in the Policy Research and Analysis Unit of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Ms. Phala graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2004 where she obtained a Master’s Degree in International Relations and from the University of the West Indies in 2021 where she obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Ms. Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, is the UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative.
With over 20 years in international humanitarian and development work, Wafaa brings a wealth of experience and leadership to Nigeria’s efforts to improve the lives of children and communities. Previously, she served as UNICEF Representative in Somalia, advancing children’s rights in a complex environment. Her career includes senior roles with OCHA, UNICEF, and WFP across Sudan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Syria, and Ethiopia, as well as global leadership positions with OCHA in New York and Geneva. Wafaa began her career in Sudan, working with the private sector, academia, and NGOs on displacement and environmental issues. She holds a Master of Architecture from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, a Master of Science in Physical Planning from the University of Khartoum, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Her expertise spans program management, coordination, and strategic planning in both humanitarian and development contexts, consistently demonstrating strong leadership in advancing organizational missions under challenging conditions.

Ronald David Kayanja, a Ugandan national, is the Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) for Nigeria. He has been Director of the Centre since 2015. Mr. Kayanja has worked for the UN since 1996 and has worked with the UN Peacekeeping operations in Timor-Leste, where he served as Governance Advisor working specifically on media and civil society; and UNESCO as Advisor for Communication and Information in West Africa based initially in Accra and subsequently in Abuja. He has also worked on projects with UNFPA, FAO and started his UN career as a national officer with UNDP in Uganda. Mr. Kayanja studied at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda where he obtained a BA in Mass Communication, went to the University of Cardiff, UK for an MA in Journalism Studies and the University of Malmo, Sweden where he studied Communication and Development at master’s degree level. He has also served as Director, Panos Global AIDS Programme (August 2005 to June 2007) in Lusaka, Zambia.