Mamadou Lamine Sow is a seasoned expert in education and international development. A former senior official with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations system, he has over 25 years of experience, including 22 years in senior leadership positions in international development programs. He has served as Acting Regional Director and Senior Adviser, Head of Education Programmes at the UNESCO regional offices for West Africa in Abuja and East Africa in Nairobi.

As Project Manager and Director of Education at USAID, Lamine has led major initiatives in several countries in West, East and Central Africa, including in crisis and conflict contexts such as Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti and Niger. His expertise covers a wide range of areas in the education sector: Teacher training and professional development; Curriculum and textbook development; Education policy design; Early childhood development; Strengthening basic education; Promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); Supporting the transformation of higher education.

As UNICEF Country Programme Manager in Togo, Niger and Senegal, he led local education sector groups as part of the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) initiatives.

Lamine holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor's degree in Education. He is fluent in French and English, which allows him to operate with ease in multicultural and international environments.