Shaza Elmahdi is Sudan Country Director at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) based in Khartoum, Sudan. She works closely with partners representing the private sector, civil society, and government to implement CIPE’s strategy in Sudan, which includes policy and regulatory reforms, enhance anti-corruption initiatives, engage in public private dialogue, and improve democratic governance in Sudan.
Prior to joining CIPE, Elmahdi worked as a Researcher at the Global Women Institute at George Washington University, collecting and analyzing data related to Gender-Based Violence in the conflict zone including South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, prior to that, she worked as Sudan’s Focal Point at the Strategic Initiative Women in the Horn of Africa, leading women-focused programs across Sudan and managing the organization regional strategy. She also worked as a consultant with Human Rights Watch, MDPD, Centerlinks, and other organizations. Elmahdi spent several years working at the Grants Department at CIPE’s headquarter in Washington DC, managing grants and contracts in addition to her role as the Monitoring and Evaluation Point of Contact. She has an MPH degree from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Khartoum.