legacy – Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella

First Black African to Lead UNIDO

Appointed Director-General in 2005; re-elected in 2009.
First Sub-Saharan African and first Black leader of the agency since its founding.
Marked a transformative shift toward inclusive global leadership within the UN system.

Assumed leadership during a crisis of donor confidence and institutional uncertainty.
Stabilized finances, enhanced operational efficiency, and restored global credibility.
Rebuilt trust with major donor countries and reestablished UNIDO as a vital technical authority.

Coined and embedded ISID into UNIDO’s strategy— integrating poverty reduction, gender equality, and climate action.
Led the conceptual development that influenced SDG 9:
Inclusive and sustainable industrialization.

Framed energy access as a core development issue rather than a technical challenge.
Developed renewable energy and energy efficiency programs in tandem with industrial growth.
Set the stage for global recognition of energy access in the UN’s SDG agenda.

Fostered multi-country collaboration across Africa, China, India, and Brazil.
Elevated the African Union’s Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) program.
Shifted global discourse on Africa from aid dependency to production, innovation, and trade.

Fostered multi-country collaboration across Africa, China, India, and Brazil.
Fostered multi-country collaboration across Africa, China, India, and Brazil.
Elevated the African Union’s Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA) program.
Shifted global discourse on Africa from aid dependency to production, innovation, and trade.

Oversaw tailored support to governments and private sectors in industrial modernization, tech adoption, and SME growth.
Supported flagship projects in agro-processing, clean manufacturing, and supply chain upgrading worldwide.

Partnered with the World Bank, AfDB, GEF, ECOWAS, ASEAN, and others to drive climate-smart industrial development.
Positioned UNIDO as a go-to technical partner for infrastructure, energy, and environmental integration.
Championing Green Industry and Eco-Innovation
Launched the Green Industry Platform to connect governments and businesses on sustainable manufacturing.
Expanded cleaner production initiatives to over 50 countries.
Embedded climate action into industrial value chains.

Instituted performance-driven management, governance reform, and transparent budgeting.
Elevated technical talent and improved mission responsiveness globally.
Made the agency more results-oriented and competitive.

Key UN voice at World Economic Forum, UN General Assembly, COP summits, and African Union events.
Published influential work linking industry, energy access, and climate resilience.

Facilitated targeted capacity-building programs for Sierra Leonean SMEs and agro-industries.
Led technical assistance for value addition in agricultural processing, contributing to rural employment and local market integration.
Channeled industrial diagnostics and vocational skills training programs during post-conflict economic stabilization.
Coordinated emergency resilience programs for countries affected by Ebola, including mobilizing post-Ebola industrial recovery grants and technical support for Sierra Leone’s health-industrial supply chains.

Led UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
Mobilized governments and private investors to deliver energy access and renewables worldwide.
Instrumental in embedding energy access into SDG 7.

Appointed by President Julius Maada Bio to lead Sierra Leone’s flagship national transformation pillars on Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Food Security.
Secured over $800 million in investment pledges at the
2023 OPEC Fund Roundtable in Vienna-marking the largest active financial commitment to energy and agriculture in Sierra Leone’s history.
Oversaw Sierra Leone’s admission into Mission 300, a strategic clean energy financing initiative.