Drocelle is a Water and Environmental Engineer who uses her skills to contribute to the sustainable development of Africa, combining them with her interest in small farmer empowerment, wealth equality and financial inclusion. She believes that small farmers in Africa are the key to achieving sustainable development, for which a bottom-up approach is crucial. Before joining DIBcoop Drocelle worked as technical project officer, gaining experience in natural resource management, working with farmers and in construction. She contributes to the DIBcoop team in Rwanda by supporting community engagement processes, developing and implementing integrated water catchment plans, and assisting with M&E reporting.

With more than 20 years' experience as a financial and operational executive in international companies, Zeynep excels in developing financial models and implementing operational controls that streamline business operations, increase efficiency, transparency and profitability, and drive growth even with limited resources and in challenging environments. With her strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, Zeynep fosters good relations with all levels of staff, clients and partners, creating pleasant collaborative environments.

With over a decade of experience in East Africa, Thijs is known for his pioneering efforts in establishing the first potato crisps company in Rwanda, Thijs is dedicated to improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers while making a sustainable impact on the community.
Thijs holds an MSc in Development Studies from Wageningen University, with a specialization in agricultural economics, which he complemented with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. With a passion for developing profitable and sustainable value chains with a social or environmental impact objective, Thijs brings a unique blend of academic knowledge and hands-on experience to the table. His strategic vision, coupled with a deep understanding of the East African market, has resulted in the successful implementation of his venture and other projects that prioritise both financial returns and societal and environmental well-being. 

With more than 17 years’ experience in resource mobilisation, programme management and public-private partnerships, Daud excels in project development and management in the private and humanitarian sectors. His skills are manifold: project planning, multi-sectoral programme management and coordination, institutional capacity development, proposal/report writing, M&E. He has excellent communication skills and is used to working with government authorities and at international level. Daud has a Master’s in human development and food security from Rome Tre University. His principal areas of operation are Kenya and Somalia.

Alessia is a ‘sustainability’ entrepreneur with a background in forestry and organic agriculture. She is a proactive team worker with an aptitude for problem-solving and is experienced in working in diverse and multi-disciplinary teams. Before joining DIBcoop, Alessia gained experience abroad in the forests of the Peruvian Amazon, where she conducted research for her master’s thesis, and in Argentina and Mozambique, where she coordinated audits on the working and living conditions of farmers.

Although Moussa’s training is in journalism, translation and interpreting, his heart lies in agribusiness and agroforestry. He is a fervent tree planter too and has been closely involved in a Jatropha agroforestry project – the nuts of this tree have many uses including the production of biodiesel. Moussa is DIBcoop’s man in Mali, from where he coordinates our projects in West Africa.

Papa Moussa specialises in logistics and project reporting. After studying and living in the US for several years, he moved back to Africa, setting up a fishing company in Sierra Leone, which works with smallholder fishermen, and running several logistic companies in Senegal. He has assisted USAID with project reporting on agricultural projects in English, French and other languages. His excellent interpersonal communication skills have helped him to build a wide network in Senegal, a great advantage when it comes to developing locally based projects. Papa Moussa collaborates with DIBcoop on project development in West Africa, providing expertise and profound knowledge of the local context and dynamics.

Moussa Ouedraogo is a forest genetics conservation and breeding expert with solid experience in tree seed production and distribution, inventories and mapping, field experiments, tree improvement and vegetative propagation. Based in Burkina Faso, Moussa has worked for over 30 years with research and development institutes throughout the West African region, participating in regional research projects in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Benin, Togo and Senegal. He is also an excellent proposal writer. A former Director General of the National Tree Seed Center in Ouagadougou (2003-2006 and 2016-2022), Moussa did his Bachelor’s in Tropical Forestry at the University of Ouagadougou, received an MSc in Biostatistics from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Liège, Belgium, and his PhD in Tree species breeding and conservation from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mathilde brings a wealth of experience to the DIBcoop team in the fields of international development and local community involvement. Specialised in water management and gender issues, but with experience in many other fields, she excels at thinking out of the box and at adapting to changing circumstances. Her sharp analytical skills make Mathilde well equipped for change management, where she can combine her leadership skills with the ability to guide multi-cultural teams to produce the necessary outputs and results

Patrick has a background in physics and mathematical ecology, but his real passions are agroforestry and agroecology, which he will further explore in his masters in earth and environmental sciences. He has taken on responsibilities in data analysis and the creation of models in the context of project feasibility and profit projections.

With a bachelor’s degree in finance and over 7 years of experience, including serving as a Senior Accountant, she has developed expertise in the finance field. Currently pursuing her CPA (Certified Public Accountant) courses, Sylvie is deepening her knowledge to become a certified expert in her field.

On a journey to becoming a financial expert, eager to dive into complex financial challenges and provide insightful advisory services. She believes in the power of effective financial management to transform businesses and is always ready to support teams with her analytical mindset and collaborative approach. Sylvie is committed to making a meaningful impact in the world of finance.

With extensive experience in financial management, Justine provides critical oversight and hands-on financial skills to support DIBcoop's mission of sustainable business development. Based in Wageningen, she also coaches international MSc teams at Wageningen University. Her background includes a PhD in history and broad expertise in international collaboration, teaching, and coaching.

Ralph is a Dutch national who has lived and worked in East Africa for more than 25 years. After working as an agricultural scientist with various international research and development organizations, he started his own consulting company, Mukinduri, which collaborates closely with DIBcoop. In his previous role as Country Director for the World Vegetable Center in Kenya, he developed the successful ‘Vegetable Business Networks’ model for smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs, creating over 80,000 jobs in Kenya and Ethiopia. He holds a BSc in Tropical Agriculture from the National Agricultural College in Deventer, an MSc in Tropical Animal Production and Health from Edinburgh University, and a PhD in Agriculture from Wageningen University.

As office manager, Ellen facilitates DIBcoop with financial administration and reporting. With a background in plant genetic research, Ellen brings a broad set of expertise and skills. She is strong in planning and organization and brings decisiveness with respect for others. Ellen has an eye for the needs of an organization and thinks in possibilities. With this she wants to support DIBcoop in its Ecological Business Development.  

Ataoulaye is a seasoned development economist with over 15 years of experience, he has led multi-million -Euro, complex projects across West Africa (Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) and worked in the United States and the Union of Comoros.

Mr. Bah has extensive expertise in project development and management for major multilateral and bilateral organizations, including USAID, the European Union, The MasterCard Foundation, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lux-Dev, GiZ, the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (UNPBF), ECHO, United Nations World Food Programme, the Governments of of Sweden and the Netherlands and several Foundations.

His experience spans the public and private sectors as well as research institutions, driving public-private partnerships in agriculture production and market systems, food and nutrition, digital transformation, health systems strengthening, education, good governance, and youth employment among others. He also support organizations in conducting baseline, mid-term, and endline evaluations of projects and programmes.

He holds an Associate Degree in Business Administration from LaGuardia Community College (CUNY) , a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Master’s of International Affairs in Economics and Political Development from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, New York, USA.