Amani leads the Financial Services for the Poor East Africa portfolio (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) and has over 20 years of international development experience in Africa. Prior to joining the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Amani worked with USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, advancing Digital Financial Services and Digital Development as a Senior Digital Health Systems and Digital Financial Services Advisor. Preceding work with the United States government, Amani was the Chief Technical Advisor for Financial Inclusion with the United Nations Capital Development Fund in Rwanda, Liberia, and Uganda. In Uganda Amani launched the Mobile Money for the Poor Program, establishing partnerships in government (Bank of Uganda, Ministry of Finance, Telecommunications Ministry, etc.) and the private sector which led to innovation in the diffusion of digital financial services among rural and agricultural populations.

Before UNCDF, Amani worked with a number of INGOs including Catholic Relief Services, CARE International and the International Rescue Committee, consistently in financial inclusion advisory and program management roles in Benin, Zimbabwe, Mali, Sierra Leone, and throughout East Africa.

Amani holds a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, and a Master of Business Administration from IE Business School. Amani is a certified Digital Money practitioner, speaks conversational Swahili and is fluent in French. She has authored several publications, including “Digitizing Agricultural Payments: Uganda’s Coffee Value Chain” (CGAP) and “The Role of Digital Financial Services in Accelerating USAID’s Health Goals” (USAID) and has presented on financial inclusion related topics at multiple conferences.