Dr. Zeinab Bashir El Bakri was appointed to the Inspection Panel on September 1, 2012. A  national of Sudan, she brings to the Panel more than 20 years of development experience.

Dr. El Bakri built a broad career at the African Development Bank (AfDB), where her last position was vice president of operations from 2006-2009.  Between 1991 and 2005, she served in a number of positions at AfDB spanning multiple regions of Africa and focusing on portfolios including social development, gender, agriculture and agro-industry, climate change and governance.

After leaving AfDB, she was appointed director of the Delivery Unit for the Office of His Highness the Prime Minister of Kuwait, responsible for ensuring delivery of reform initiatives. Dr. El Bakri’s time at AfDB was preceded by an academic career at the University of Khartoum, where she was senior lecturer in anthropology and sociology and also managed the Women and Development Programme of the Development Studies and Research Center. Her early career included a number of consultancies within the United Nations system, philanthropy and international non-governmental organizations.

Throughout her career, Dr. El Bakri has worked on evaluation issues based on meticulous attention to facts. Her work at AfDB included service on the Board Committee on Development Effectiveness and responsibility for management responses to independent evaluations within her sectors. She was also responsible for establishing AfDB’s Governance, Economic and Financial Reforms Department.

Dr. El Bakri holds a Ph.D. in sociology and anthropology from Hull University and received her M.A. and B.A. in sociology from the American University in Cairo.