A French-Moroccan national, Ms. Loubna Bourkane Ly is a development economist with 17 years of professional experience. She joined the African Development Bank as a Young Professional in December 2010 and has since worked in the Human Development Department, covering education, social protection, and employment in North and West African countries, including Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Senegal, Cape Verde, and Guinea-Bissau. She has led operations using a range of financing instruments, such as investment projects, budget support, results-based financing (RBF), and trust funds.
Loubna has contributed to the design and implementation of several flagship initiatives, including PAFE in Morocco, PAEIJ-SP in Togo, Souk At-Tanmia in North Africa, and Tunisia’s first RBF project, CAP Emploi, approved by the Board in July 2024. She developed and currently leads the EInA Platform, a regional E-Lab producing flagship studies that inform the Bank’s CSPs/RISPs and operations, such as the entrepreneurial profiles of Morocco and Tunisia, an SME survey in Tunisia, and a strategic employment policy note for Morocco.
Selected in 2024 for the first cohort of the “Women Leadership Journey” program, Loubna began her career at the French Development Agency (AFD), managing projects in the social and local development sectors from 2008 to 2010. She holds a Master’s degree in Economic Development and a Master’s in Economic Policy Analysis and Project Management from the University of Clermont-Ferrand (CERDI – Center for Studies and Research on International Development).
