Dr Patrick Conteh, is the CEO of the Africa Fintech Network (AFN) and doubles as USAID Senior Economic Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning of Liberia and before that as Resident Advisor to the Central Bank of Liberia.
A financial sector and a development finance professional with over twenty-five years of combined experience spanning the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. A strong advocate for fintech and other disruptive technologies as platforms for leapfrogging financial inclusion in Africa. A reformer of central bank governance, banking regulations & supervision with a strong private sector lens in the overall economic management of least developed countries.
In the recent past, served as Regional Lead for Sub Sahara Africa overseeing a unique collaboration between Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) and Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSDA), to strengthen the creation, dissemination, and adoption of FinTech-related knowledge across Sub- Sahara Africa (SSA).
Previously, Governor of the Central Bank of Sierra Leone, where amongst other reform initiatives, he pioneered one of Africa’s first regulatory sandboxes as part of an overarching financial inclusion strategy. Before that, he was Minister of State for fiscal affairs and was instrumental in the turnaround of Sierra Leone’s economy following the 2015/16 depression caused by the twin shocks of the Ebola Virus Disease and the unprecedented collapse of iron ore prices- Sierra Leone’ major exports.
Patrick served as Alternate Executive Director at the African Development Bank representing Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, Gambia and Sudan, contributing to the formulation and implementation of various developmental programs and projects.
His earlier career was in commercial banking spanning over sixteen straight years holding various senior management roles in financial management & control; risk management; administration & operations management; credits administration & control; human capital management; business development; strategy and policy, enterprise risk management, etc., exiting at the level of Deputy Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer.
Patrick holds an excellent combination of academic and professional qualifications and competencies spanning the disciplines of economics, finance, and management.
