Dr. Marit Kitaw is currently the Interim Director of the African Minerals Development Center (AMDC), a specialized agency of the African Union and a Pan-African Center dedicated to harnessing Africa’s mineral resources for sustainable development and structural transformation, through implementing the Africa Mining Vision (AMV). She was previously an Economist at UNECA where she became a strong advocate of developmental and sustainable mining. Marit was also Chief Technical Advisor on Extractives Industries for Sustainable Development at UNDP Mozambique.  As a founding member of the AMDC, which was previously housed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, she actively contributed to the development of major implementing tools and became a strong advocate of minerals for sustainable development. Dr. Marit previously worked in COMESA, at the African Development Bank, and at the Institute of World Affairs in Washington, DC.  She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Nice/Sophia-Antipolis in France, and an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability from the University of Cumbria, UK.