Dr. Coumba Dieng Sow stands as a formidable force in bridging agricultural innovation, climate resilience, and development diplomacy across Africa.
Originating from Saint-Louis, Senegal, she has transformed her academic rigor and field-tested leadership into tangible progress for African communities.
Educated at premier institutions, she earned a master’s in Public Policy Management from Sciences Po Paris, specialized in agro-industries at Montpellier, and completed postgraduate studies in agricultural economics in London.
Her journey with the United Nations began in 2006 at the FAO, serving as Agricultural Policy Officer across three continents, where she supported the rollout of the NEPAD-CAADP continental framework .
In 2013, Ms. Sow ascended to the Office of the FAO Director-General, overseeing Africa-related liaison and technical cooperation efforts.
Her leadership expanded in 2017 when she became FAO’s Emergencies and Resilience Coordinator for West Africa and the Sahel, steering food security and recovery programs across 18 nations in the CILSS and ECOWAS regions.
One of her most impactful initiatives, launched in 2018, is the “One Million Cisterns for the Sahel” project.
Drawing lessons from Brazil’s Fome Zero, this was a transformative water-access program aimed at empowering rural women with potable water for both consumption and market-ready kitchen gardening .
Her visionary leadership continued as she assumed the role of FAO Representative to Rwanda and Djibouti (2022–2024), where she prioritized agri-women and youth empowerment, pushing for equitable access to land, finance, technology, and training to dismantle barriers sustaining hunger and poverty .
In October 2024, Dr. Sow embarked on her most expansive assignment yet — becoming the UN Resident Coordinator in Togo, serving as the UN Secretary-General’s most senior envoy and orchestrating cohesive delivery of SDGs across 13 UN agencies in-country .
Her exceptional leadership has earned her a repeat distinction as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women by Avance Media for three consecutive years (2022–2024).
Beyond action and policy, she remains an intellectual voice — contributing to global dialogues like Dakar’s Ateliers de la Pensée, where she shared insights on climate resilience and ancestral knowledge in the Sahel.
She has also co-authored From Fome Zero to Zero Hunger, weaving narratives of agricultural transformation alongside former FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva .
From sustaining rural food systems to guiding UN agencies in Togo, Dr. Coumba Dieng Sow has continuously operated at the intersection of resilience-building, gender justice, and systems-level progress.
Her ambition lies in ensuring that rural communities are not sidelined, but empowered to drive Africa’s sustainable tomorrow.
