The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced the appointment of Oumar Seydi as its new Africa Director.

The foundation’s President of Global Development, Chris Elias, in a statement on Thursday, said Seydi would play a central role in the organisation’s work across Africa.

“Oumar brings extensive experience working across Africa, leading high-performing teams through extensive growth and partnerships across both the public and private sectors,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Seydi, a Senegalese, joined the foundation from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, IFC, where he was the regional director for sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Seydi also served as IFC’s director for eastern and southern Africa and as its global director of human resources, covering IFC offices worldwide.

While at IFC, he managed the corporation’s investment and advisory operations covering the region’s 49 countries.

Prior to the IFC, he was a manager at Ernst and Young in New York, where he advised corporate clients on restructuring, re-organisation, corporate finance and business valuation.

He also spent five years with the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID.

“I am looking forward to working with our partners and exploring new strategies that will help increase the foundation’s impact on the continent.

“This is a critical time in Africa’s development and I am excited to join an organisation that is committed to supporting African countries in meeting their development goals,” Mr Seydi said.