Alphonse Mekolo

Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO is an internationally recognized Expert in (i)Governance systems and Public Administration Institutions including civil Service Reform with a special focus on post-conflict Public Sector reconstruction; Decentralization; (ii)Leadership and capacity development including governance approaches and methodologies as they relate to vision and policy formulation and to setting up comprehensive development strategic frameworks; (iii)Monitoring and evaluation systems; (iv) Human Capital Management and Capacity building focusing on training tools development.

... A multilingual professional, Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO works fluently in English and French, and reads German, Arabic, and Chinese, enabling him to operate seamlessly in diverse geopolitical environments. With more than four decades of high level leadership impact across Africa, Europe, the United States, and the United Nations system, he used his strategic insight, transformational leadership, and ability to drive institutional excellence, shape national governance systems, strengthen public institutions, and guide governments toward long term development visions. From 2003 to 2015, Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO served at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as Interregional Adviser within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). In this influential role, he supervised governance and public administration programs across a diverse portfolio of UN Member States, including South Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Timor Leste, and Togo. His leadership helped governments strengthen institutional performance, accelerate decentralization, and implement governance reforms aligned with global development standards. His work with UN DESA can outline significant achievements such as: (i) National governance programmes successfully supervised in Mauritania, Djibouti and Mozambique; (ii) a decentralization policy formulated in Chad including its operational master plan; (iii) Contribution for strengthening rule of law in Togo and in Djibouti through collecting all the existing laws and regulations and posting them in specific online portals, and toolkits for a quick and easy access for citizens including the professionals of law; (iv) guiding principles to review the civil service law and the Public Administration in Democratic Republic of Congo; (v) ongoing innovative and inclusive approach for the Public Administration Reform in Benin; (v) a comprehensive strategy formulated for strengthening Public Administration in Haiti; (vi)Online Research and Training tools. Prior to his position as inter-regional advisor at UN DESA in New York, Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO performed several strategic assignments with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Notably: • UNDP Chad (2002–2003), where He spearheaded the launch of the national decentralization process, designed the country’s Master Plan for Decentralization, and established mechanisms for steering, coordinating, and monitoring the reform agenda. • UNDP Rwanda (1997–2002) as Chief Technical Adviser, where he led institutional analysis of the National Assembly, supported the implementation of Rwanda’s Public Service Reform Program, strengthened administrative capacity of public sector institutions, and guided the decentralization process during a pivotal period of the national post-conflict reconstruction. Today’s Rwanda stands as a positive Result to the institutional architecture he contributed to shape. This support on leadership, reform, capacity building, and decentralization laid the foundation for the nation’s modern transformation. • UNDP Morocco (2000) and UNDP Algeria (1999), where He served as Team Leader for evaluations of UN development programs, ensuring alignment with national priorities and international best practices. • World Bank/UNDP Burundi (1993), where He contributed to the Reconstruction Plan for Burundi’s provinces and designed advanced training programs in strategic planning and regional development for senior public officials. Before his international career, Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO played a central role in shaping public administration reform in Cameroon. He served as Deputy Director (1989–1993) and Director (1993–1994) of the Higher Institute of Public Management (ISMP), where he oversaw administrative operations, human resources, and national training programs. Earlier to that, he held the position of Chief of International and Multilateral Technical Cooperation at the Ministry of Planning (1984–1987), where he managed strategic relations with the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions, and the European Development Fund. Through his distinguished career, Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO has earned a reputation as a visionary reform leader, a trusted advisor to governments, and a strategic thinker capable of transforming institutions and accelerating national development. His work continues to influence governance systems, empower public institutions, and shape sustainable futures across continents. Mr. Alphonse Mekolo is also a training professional and keeps doing active research and consulting for public sector institutions and local governments around the world. He wrote many papers, delivered Keynote speeches at conferences. He designed professional training materials e.g. Public Administration Reconstruction after conflict. He is now writing a new book on Governance from Below to be published soon. Since 2020, Mr. Alphonse MEKOLO has been serving as a Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MEKALFONE Group, a non-governmental advisory firm operating in the United States and throughout African countries. This Group of partners and experts deliver cutting edge strategic advisory services, technical assistance, and institutional capacity building to public and private organizations committed to sustainable development and high performance. In 2024, he was appointed Chief Consultant by UNDP Burundi to lead the Evaluation of the Public Administration of Burundi, a flagship initiative supporting the country’s ambition to become an Emerging Burundi by 2040. His work involved a comprehensive functional analysis of national institutions and an assessment of their performance impact on the country’s development trajectory—an assignment that reaffirmed his reputation as a premier architect of state modernization. He holds a MA from Quebec University, Canada; and obtained specialized certificates in the fields of conflict management and negotiation, Project Analysis and Financing, Public Policy and programme formulation monitoring and evaluation. .