FSD Africa welcomes three new board members

FSD Africa has welcomed three new Non-Executive Directors to its Board: Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani, Ramatoulaye Adama Diallo and Cheikh Oumar Seydi.

The new Board members bring perspectives and expertise aligned with FSD Africa’s mandate and operating context, including market development, capital mobilisation and governance in complex, multi-stakeholder and multi-donor environments.

Together, they have worked with and alongside development partners, institutional investors, governments, and the private sector to align interests and support the delivery of long-term, system-level outcomes. They bring depth in energy and infrastructure finance, digital financial systems, and development finance, complementing the existing Board.

Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani brings deep expertise in energy finance, infrastructure, and investment banking across more than 30 African markets. As the founding CEO of EnergyInc Advisors, and through senior roles at Ecobank, FBNQuest, Mixta Africa (now part of ARM), and Zenith, she has structured transactions and mobilised capital in complex environments. Her background will support FSD Africa’s work to build investible pipelines and develop financial instruments that channel capital into energy and infrastructure at scale..

Ramatoulaye Adama Diallo (Rama) brings extensive leadership across financial services, fintech, and digital platforms, with particular insight into how digital systems are reshaping market participation and access. She has held CEO, CFO, and COO roles across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, scaling regulated financial institutions and expanding financial inclusion. Her background, including roles at Morgan Stanley, Orange, Etisalat, and Google, combines financial expertise with a strong understanding of how digital financial systems are evolving. This will support FSD Africa’s work to connect financial market development with the continent’s fast-evolving digital ecosystem.

Cheikh Oumar Seydi brings more than three decades of leadership across development finance, investment, and philanthropy in emerging markets. At the International Finance Corporation, he led investment and advisory operations across Sub-Saharan Africa, and at the Gates Foundation he oversaw the expansion of programmes across the continent. He brings deep experience in building partnerships and delivering at scale across public and private sectors, which is central to FSD Africa’s work to shape markets and unlock capital.

Looking ahead

These appointments bring immensely valuable experience to FSD Africa as it continues its work of transforming Africa’s financial markets and supporting long-term growth and resilience across economies, businesses, and communities.

FSD Africa Board Chair, Dr Frannie Léautier, said:

“We warmly welcome Rolake, Rama and Cheikh Oumar to our Board. As Africa’s financial landscape evolves, the need for bold, and forward-looking governance has never been greater. Their insight and collective experience will help shape the future of finance in Africa and deepen our impact at scale.”