Lilian Dodzo is Regional Leader, World Vision International – East Africa Region.  Lilian has over 20 years’ experience in international development and humanitarian leadership in Africa, having worked as the Country Director for World Vision in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Mali and Mauritania, as well as the World Vision West Africa Regional Office in Senegal. She has also worked in international relations leadership roles for the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the United Cities & Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), the World Bank Institute’s Municipal Development Partnership for Africa (MDP-A), the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the United Nations Development Programme’s Regional Service Centre for Africa (UNDP-RSCA).  As such, she has a wealth of knowledge and experience in development, programme management, humanitarian operations in fragile contexts, communication and advocacy work, as well as faith and development engagement.

Lilian’s personal mission is to foster high-quality, high-impact development and humanitarian programmes that make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation, sustainable transformation and a stronger civil society. She strongly believes in building a culture of risk management in all her work, including championing agility and flexibility in strategic planning that allows for flexibility to respond to any changing landscape or context.  This has become a passion for her as she has worked in and provided leadership oversight to countries that are prone to fragility, sub-national fragility and multiple crises (conflict, climate crises, security crises, refugee programming, etc.) that call for agility and responsiveness, while effectively managing risk.  In World Vision, these include the following fragile countries: World Vision Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Sierra Leone and Mauritania; as well as countries with sub-national fragility such as WV Kenya (in the northern part of the country); WV Burundi and WV Uganda.

Lilian Chaired the Executive Board of Vision Fund Mali for 3 years, and served as a Board member of Vision Fund Kenya for 3 years.  She is currently a Council member of the Daystar University Council in Kenya, and sits on the Boards of World Vision Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia as the World Vision International President’s Nominee.  She holds an MBA.