Charles Abani is a development practitioner with over 20 year experience in the field of development. Charles is currently the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana. Prior to this, Charles worked with Chemonics International as Africa Director of Development, UK Division and Chief of Party on the USAID Civil Society governance project “Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement’. Before this, Charles led the DFID-funded Mobilising for Development (M4D) in Nigeria and has worked in and with the public, private, and non-governmental sectors across many African countries and in the UK over the past 20 years. Charles’s work contributes to overcoming poverty and strengthening the capability of poor people to engage with and influence communities, governments, donors and the private sector towards transparent, accountable relationships and sustainable solutions. Working with holistic strategies to find lasting solutions to poverty, Charles has worked on issues such as HIV and AIDS, Gender equality, Climate Change, Education, Health and Governance. Charles has extensive international experience and exposure at the highest levels. With degrees in History and Political Science and executive management education, Charles also has a strong track record of managing organizations – leading and championing innovation, change and transformation across sectors. Charles also possesses strong team skills with sound people, project and financial management skills with a track record of managing change and transformation in private, government and non-governmental contexts (including philanthropies) and is a sound networker, working on local, national, regional and international issues and at those levels, leading and facilitating multi-disciplinary/cultural teams of professionals. His work experience includes leadership roles in Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Action Aid, Oxfam, and ARK, Palladium, Chemonics and the United Nations . Charles has served on a number of boards including the Global Education Campaign, UNESCO’s Editorial Board, the UN MDG Task Force on Education and Gender, ANCEFA and was Chair and Trustee of the Greenpeace Africa Board as well as previously Vice Chair of the VSO International Board.