Abda Yahia El-Mahdi
Unicons Consultancy

Ms. Abda Yahia El-Mahdi is currently Managing Director of UNICONS, an independent economic consultancy firm based in Khartoum, Sudan. Prior to this, she served in the Government of the Republic of Sudan as State Minister at the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. In her capacity as State Minister she was responsible for international financial relations, which included among others, overseeing the implementation of Sudan’s Economic Reform and Structural Adjustment Program being monitored by the International Monetary Fund and re-engagement with the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Negotiations of grants, loans and capacity building assistance, resolving Sudan’s external debt problem, formulation of the country's Interim Poverty Eradication Strategy.

Prior to joining the Government, Ms. El-Mahdi worked first as a consultant to the Economic Research Forum for Arab Countries, Iran and Turkey (ERF) based in Cairo, Egypt. Ms. El-Mahdi also worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, USA where she was Technical Assistant to the Executive Director for Africa I constituency.

Ms. El-Mahdi holds an MSc. Degree in Economics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. She is currently a member of the Advisory Panel of the Central Bank of Sudan and is in the Board of Directors of the Future Trends Foundation for Strategic Studies and Dialogue in Khartoum. Ms. El-Mahdi also serves in the Advisory Panel for Eminent Women of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as well as in the Advisory Panel of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Development.