Speak up Africa welcomes Yacine Barro as new board chair

Appointment of Senegalese businesswoman will strengthen Speak Up Africa’s mission to drive sustainable development across Africa.

Today, policy and advocacy action tank Speak Up Africa has announced the appointment of Yacine Barro, Senegalese businesswoman, as Chair of its Board of Directors, having joined Speak Up Africa as a member of the Board in December 2019.

Currently, Yacine holds the position of Director of the Small and Medium Business Segment for Emerging Markets in the Africa and Middle East region at Microsoft, the multinational technology company.

Yacine Barro holds a degree from INSEEC (L’Institut des Hautes Etudes Economiques et Commerciales) in Paris and began her career as Sales Manager at CISCO SYSTEMS in France. Upon returning to Senegal in 2001 as the Business Development Manager for West and Central Africa for Microsoft, Yacine developed her skills in strategy, project management and business development.

Previously, Yacine held the position of Deputy Director of Africa24, the first international news channel on Africa. With expertise in the media industry, Yacine will be able to provide invaluable insights as Speak Up Africa carries out its new strategic direction for the period 2020-2025 and continues to disseminate public health messages across the media.

Yacine Barro, Board Chair, Speak Up Africa: “It’s a pleasure to reaffirm my commitment to advancing Africa’s development through this new appointment. I was born and raised in Senegal, so working with an organisation like Speak Up Africa which seeks to improve the quality of life for Africans is a great honour. I am proud to play a role in this work, as we seek to improve public health on the continent and address fundamental issues such as sanitation, while also fighting against new threats like Covid-19.”

Yacine Djibo, Executive Director, Speak Up Africa says: “We are delighted to appoint Yacine Barro as Chair of the Board of Speak Up Africa. The knowledge and expertise that Yacine brings to Speak Up Africa is truly invaluable. We appreciate her continued leadership in her expanded role”.

Yacine Barro joins the Board of Directors to lead Speak Up Africa’s work to champion action that reforms public health and sustainable development across the African continent. Find out more about the Speak Up Africa Board of Directors here.