The President of 100 Resilient Cities, which is pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC), Michael Berkowitz, has announced the selection of Dana Omran as Managing Director, Africa.
According to a statement issued by the company, Omran, until recently, served as Associate Director, City and Practice Management at 100RC, overseeing the strategy development process in North and East Africa, and Paris, France.
In her new role, Omran will lead the organization’s strategic vision in the region, and spearhead a new wave of action in the 100RC African portfolio.
Cities stand at the forefront of 21st-Century challenges and opportunities.
More than 50 per cent of the world’s population currently live in cities, and that number was expected to rise to 70 per cent by 2050.
Africa alone is forecast to urbanise at a rate of 3.65 per cent annually, adding one billion more residents to the continent’s cities by 2063.
With this rapid urbanisation in mind, in addition to other global pressures that play out at a city scale, 100 Resilient Cities has progressively grown its presence in Africa since the program’s launch in 2013.
100RC’s work in the region is underpinned by a vision that 10 African cities will serve as models for inclusive, equitable, and resilient urbanisation for the rest of the continent and beyond.
“Some of the fastest rates of urbanization over the next 30 years are expected to take place in Sub-Saharan Africa,†Omran said.
“This represents an enormous opportunity to infuse resilience thinking in urban centers small and large across the continent. From informal development to water insecurity, waste management to unemployment, applying an urban resilience lens has been proven to yield multiple benefits through singular but holistic interventions.â€
“During her tenure at 100 Resilient Cities, Dana has demonstrated exceptional leadership, decision-making ability, and both global and regional acumen,†said Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities.
“We are excited to see the great potential of the Africa region unfurl under her leadership, and expect to welcome a new cohort of both skilled Chief Resilience Officers and actionable City Resilience Strategies over the coming year,†the statement added.
Dana joined 100RC two years ago after almost a decade at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, bolstering her policy and finance background through advisory roles to national and city governments.
In particular, she worked with municipalities across the Middle East and Africa to improve service delivery to businesses and private citizens through technology solutions and regulatory reform.
In her previous role as Associate Director for 100RC, Dana led the city of Paris to a successful Resilience Strategy unveiling in October 2017, highlighted by a historic agreement between the French Rural Mayors Association and the Greater Paris Metropolitan Authority to cooperatively implement resilience initiatives at the metropolitan scale.
