The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance has appointed five new members to its Pan-African Governing Board. Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, Florença Antonio Dengo, Gunilla Carlsson, Wambui Chege, and Uwa Osa-Oboh joined AVPA in February and were formally announced as board members this week.

‘We were really excited to welcome five new board members,’ said AVPA in a statement, adding that they were ‘highly competent individuals who we believe will not only add value to AVPA but also to the African social investment ecosystem at large.’

Kouassi-Olsson is a seasoned executive in the African financial services and private equity industries, as the Founder and CEO of Birimian Ventures. Antonio Dengo joins the AVPA Board with a background of 13 years at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, where she worked across several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Brazil. Carlsson has a background in politics, including serving as a Member of the Swedish Parliament. Chege is an experienced advisory services professional with a background in development finance. And Uwa Osa-Oboh is the Head, Corporate Development at Capital Alliance Nigeria, a member of the African Capital Alliance group.