Damtien L. Tchintchibidja is an economic development specialist with substantial experience in business development, financial management, international trade, competitiveness as well as monitoring and evaluation. Prior to joining ECOWAS, she served as an Economic Advisor and then as a Special Advisor at the Office of the President of the Republic of Togo. She has relevant experience in matters relating to security pertaining to Subsaharan Africa. She conceptualized the “Accra Initiative” which aims to establish a formal and collaborative network for security and intelligence agencies in West Africa. The Initiative enables periodic information sharing for an efficient and coordinated transnational effort in addressing security threats in the ECOWAS region.

She has managed USAID and World Bank projects, as well as public and privately funded projects. She possesses extensive experience in capacity building for women and youth for a positive social impact and peacebuilding. She has a proven track record in strategy formulation and implementation as well as in political risk assessment.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Commerce & Policy from George Mason University in Virginia (2004) and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (2000). She is currently undertaking some coursework at Harvard University on Gender, Peace, and Security in Massachusetts.