Soraya Mellali

Soraya Mellali sits on the African Board, which focuses on policy issues, long-term goals, and overall impact on people’s health.  

Soraya has first-hand knowledge of Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals and a passion for and deep interest in the rise of the continent. She believes that increasing access to quality health care for the 1.4 billion African population and leaving no one behind is a requirement to achieve the SDGs. As Africa embraces digital technology to improve patient care, Soraya is highly committed to enhancing innovation, and fostering partnerships to strengthen health systems and achieve equitable access to quality healthcare.

Soraya is an accomplished Economist with a record of over thirty years of social and human development, economic thought leadership, and multilateral governance expertise. She served as an Executive Director of the Board of the African Development Bank and as a Board Official at the World Bank. Among other duties, she oversaw Global Health, Nutrition, and Population strategy, and the Global Financing Facility. Soraya held various advisory and managerial positions at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Africa. She led the West African Facility providing advisory support to 16 countries on Poverty, Governance, Technology, Gender, HIV, Health and Development, Advocacy, and Partnership Building.   

She is currently a Strategic Advisor to private organizations focusing on alternative financing and technology for Africa to advance sustainable development, and on women as agents of change.  

Soraya is the first woman from North Africa and the Middle East elected as Executive Director of any International Financial Institution. She has been a speaker and a moderator on platforms dedicated to financing and accelerating Sustainable Development and co-authored “Africa and the Millenium Development Goals” (Economica).