Country Director

Roberto Longo

Roberto Longo is Country Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Tajikistan in the Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia Division.

Previously, Longo acted as Senior Technical Specialist focusing on Farmer Organizations and Markets at IFAD. He worked to provide support to the development of corporate partnerships with Farmers' Organizations in the context of the Farmers' Forum process. Longo has advised IFAD’s operations at the country level for effective engagement with farmers’ organizations, developed and managed regional programmes in Africa and Asia and shaped global corporate collaboration between IFAD and Farmers’ Organizations.

Beyond the work on farmers’ organizations, Longo has supported the development of national policy frameworks and strategies on ARD in Africa and led analytical assignments on macro developments in Africa in his earlier assignment at OECD Development Centre. He has thematic expertise on the crossroad between trade and market development and an extensive knowledge of the African context and field knowledge of more than 30 African countries.

Longo holds a Master of Arts on Development Economics from Sussex University, UK and a Master’s Degree in Statistics and Economics from University La Sapienza of Rome. In 2001, Longo was presented an IFAD Staff Award as Facilitator of Change.