The Contribution of African Women to Economic Growth and Development: Historical Perspectives and Policy Implications Chair Dr. Rosati Mokate was appointed Executive Director on the World Bank Board, representing Angola, Nigeria and South Africa, in November Prior to joining the Bank, Dr. Mokate occupied several positions in the South African Government, including, Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank between 2005 and 2010; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial and Fiscal Commission; Chief Executive Officer of the Central Energy Fund; Executive Director of the Economic and Social Analysis in the Human Sciences Research Council; and Director of the Centre for Reconstruction and Development at the University of Pretoria. Dr. Renosi also worked in academia, including serving as Associate Professor, Lincoln University, USA. She holds a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Delaware. Presenter Emmanuel Akyeampong is Professor of History and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK). He is a co-founder and senior fellow of the International Institute for the Advanced Study of Cultures, Institutions and Economic Enterprise based in Accra, Ghana. He is the author of several books and articles including Drink, Power, and Cultural Change: A Social History of Alcohol in Ghana, c.1800 to Recent Times (1996); and Between the Sea and the Lagoon: An Eco-Social History of the Anlo of Southeastern Ghana (2001). Akyeampong has been a co-editor of the Journal of African History, of African Diaspora and serves on the editorial board of African Arguments. Dr. Hippolyte Fofack is a Senior Economist in the PREM Network. Previously, he was responsible for the Macroeconomic and Growth Program at the World Bank Institute and Senior Country Economist for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of African Development and Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. He is also the Task Team Leader of the GAP Development Seminar Series. Fofack holds an Advanced Degree in International Economics and Finance from the University of Bordeaux, France, as well as a Master degree in Mathematical Statistics and a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Economics from American University, Washington, DC. Discussant Mrs. Blanca Moreno-Dodson is an experienced development economist with over eighteen years of World Bank service, managing and leading operational tasks, economic and sector work, and learning and knowledge products; and advising Senior Management on operational and analytical issues. She has worked as Country Economist and Country Officer in the Africa region, and as Senior Economist in the World Bank Institute, the Strategy and Resource Management Vice-Presidency, and the Office of the PREM Vice-President. She was the Task Manager of the global learning process on “Scaling up Poverty Reduction” initiated by Mr. J. D. Wolfensohn which culminated with the Shanghai conference (May 2004). She is the editor of Reducing Poverty on a Global Scale, 2005, and Public Finance for Poverty Reduction, 2007, World Bank books. She currently leads the Public Finance program at the Public Sector Governance group of the PREM Network at the World Bank. She holds a PhD and a Masters in International Economics and Finance from the University of Aix-Marseille II, France, as well as a Masters in Economics from the University Autonomous of Madrid, Spain. GAP Development Seminar Series