Stefan Engels

Associated Expert
"The path towards a more just and sustainable development requires many stakeholders pulling in the same direction, including the private sector. Co-creating mutually satisfying solutions should result in more inclusive business models and markets.”

Stef is an experienced international development practitioner, specialised in private sector development, inclusive business and investment ecosystems in Africa. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, he worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) where he managed various multi-year international donor projects and teams, set-up new country programmes and developed strategies as Country Director. Before his multi-faceted development work on the continent, he enjoyed an exciting career with one of the Dow Jones 30 companies in marketing and general management in Germany, the Netherlands and USA.

The combination of private sector management and development experience allows him to better add value to the nexus of PPPs and to help the sectors understand each other to co-design lasting win-win propositions. In addition to various assignments in working with Governments, business associations, companies and in donor coordination mechanisms, Stef has designed, implemented and evaluated numerous challenge funds, innovation competitions and SME support systems in several countries and sectors and his special interest and passion is for innovative advances in Circular and Blue Economies.

He is a member of NetImpact, and Impact@Africa and he currently serves as Trainer for Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and on the Advisory Board of StartHub Africa. Over the last 15 years, he has lived in Rwanda, South Africa and now again in Nairobi, Kenya and has additionally worked in various countries including Mozambique, Malawi and Uganda. Stef holds a BA in Business Economics and an MBA in International Organizations from the University of Geneva/HEC.

He strongly believes in the power of teamwork and subscribes to the African proverb: “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together