Kandeh Yumkella

Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (born July 5, 1959) is a Sierra Leonean agricultural economist, politician, and the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.

He was also the chief executive officer of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.

Yumkella is a former Chairman of UN-Energy and a two-term former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Born in Kambia District of Northern Sierra Leone, Yumkella has a B.Sc. from Njala University; a M.Sc. from the Cornell University; and a Ph.D. in Agricultural economics from the University of Illinois.

Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella was born on July 5, 1959, in the rural village of Kychom, Samu Chiefdom, Kambia District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.

His father, the late paramount chief Alhaji Bai Shebora Yumkella II, was an ethnic Susu and a founding member of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

His mother Haja Binta Yumkella is an ethnic Fula from Tambakha Chiefdom, Bombali District in Northern Province, Sierra Leone.

Kandeh Yumkela's mother Haja Binta Yumkella is the daughter of paramount chief Kandeh Kolleh, the first paramount chief of Tambakha Chiefdom in Bombali District.

Kandeh Yumkela was born to very religious Muslim parents in Kambia District, and a devout Muslim himself.

Yumkella attended the Christ The King College (CKC) secondary school in Bo.

From 1987 to 1996, he held various academic positions at Michigan State University and the University of Illinois in the United States.

From 1987 to 1996, he held various academic positions at Michigan State University and the University of Illinois.

Prior to working for UNIDO, Yumkella was the Minister for Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone from 1994 to 1995.

Prior to working for UNIDO, Yumkella was the Minister for Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone from 1994 to 1995.

In December 2005, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella was appointed Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), having previously worked in various high-level policy positions in UNIDO.

In December 2005, Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella was appointed Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), having previously worked in various high-level policy positions in UNIDO.

In recognition of his leadership and his passion for energy and environment-related causes, Yumkella was appointed as Chair of UN-Energy in 2008 by the UN Secretary-General.

Yumkella is a prominent public speaker, who addresses global issues, including poverty reduction, climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, and green industry and renewable energy.

Dr. Yumkella's opinion pieces have appeared in major international newspapers, including The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, and The Guardian.

He has also appeared on several international broadcast networks, including CNN's Amanpour programme, BBC, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNBC.

Yumkella is a devout Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.

He is married to Philomena Yumkella.

In recognition of his leadership and his passion for energy and environment-related causes, Yumkella was appointed as Chair of UN-Energy in 2008 by the UN Secretary-General.

UN-Energy brings together all the UN organizations dealing with energy issues.

As its chairman, Yumkella brought a renewed and vital focus to global energy issues and he helped to coordinate the UN response to energy issues.

Since 2008, he has also been an active member of the UN Development Group, which helps to set and coordinate the global development priorities of the United Nations.

Under his leadership as Director-General, UNIDO has maintained a role as the largest provider of trade-related technical assistance to developing countries in the UN system.

He was re-appointed for a second four-year term in office in December 2009.

He was re-appointed for a second four-year term in office in December 2009.

In September 2011, Yumkella was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as co-chair of the High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All.

This followed a decision by the UN General Assembly to designate 2012 as the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All.

As Co-chair of this High-level Group, Yumkella helps to guide the initiative aimed at highlighting the need for universal access to energy, as well as increased energy efficiency and enhanced deployment of renewable sources of energy.

Yumkella was a Member of the Rio+20 Principals Group, which played a crucial role in the preparations for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

In September 2012, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Yumkella as Special Representative for the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.

As Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises, he successfully promoted market reforms and signed Sierra Leone's accession to the African Regional Standards Organization(ARSO)and launched initiatives to promote private sector development, establishment of public-private sector partnership and dialogue mechanisms.

He organized consultative processes between the government and the private sector for discussing constraints and obstacles to private sector growth with support from UNIDO, International Trade Center(ITC), African Project Development Facility (APDF) and UNDP Regional Bureau For Africa (UNDP/RBA).

As co-chair of the Public Enterprise Reform and Divestiture Commission(the privatization commission), supervised an internal review of the privatization council), supervised an internal review of the privatization program and promoted local awareness-building and domestic private sector participation in the program.

He also served as a member of the ministerial-level structural adjustment monitoring committee which provided oversight on policy reforms dealing with rationalization of the civil service workforce, judicial reform, petroleum product pricing and monetization of the rice subsidy.

Yumkella has worked in different high-level policy positions in UNIDO, including as Special Adviser to two previous Directors-General and as Representative and Director of the first UNIDO Regional Office in Nigeria.

Yumkella contested for the presidency of Sierra Leone in 2018 but garnered 6.9% of the vote.