Kossi Kougblenou
Executive Director, ACOMB, Togo
Mr. Kossi (Pius) Kougblenou is a specialist with more than 25 years' experience in project cycle management (doctoral training in results-based project/programme planning and management, MASTER 2 - SAGE). Mr. Kougblenou is an expert in extractive industries governance, specialising in the analysis and use of EITI data. He was civil society representative for French-speaking Africa on the EITI Civil Society Advisory Group (CSAG) from 2019 to 2023 (the CSAG was set up in 2019). He has the reputation of a rigorous and tenacious leader who combines transparency and professionalism with a strong sense of consensus-building. Mr. Kougblenou graduated with the third year-group from the Excellence Centre for Extractive Industries Governance in French-speaking Africa (CEGIEAF) at the Catholic University of Central Africa. His track record managing projects in the extractive sector includes the EITI Togo anti-corruption project, aimed at preventing and combatting corruption in the extractive sector in Togo, and a project to strengthen the availability, accessibility and use of data from EITI reports on voluntary and mandatory social payments by extractive companies and rebates paid by the Treasury to mining communities in Togo. The latter project aims to strengthen the mobilization and optimal use of resources at local level to enhance resilience during the energy transition. He has also taken part in an advocacy project involving the relocation of mining operations in order to respect community rights and industry standards, relating to the village of Sagonou in Togo. As an Executive Director of the ACOMB non-government organization, he is committed to ensuring that the exploitation of extractive resources benefits present and future generations as well as helping to achieve the development priorities of countries where such operations are carried out.