Aakif Merchant is Director, Engagement & Capacity Building and Head of Africa at Convergence. He leads the organization’s engagements and activities across the continent. In this role, he works closely with governments, development finance institutions, and commercial investors to mainstream blended finance approaches across investment strategy, portfolio management, and policy frameworks. Aakif has worked with a wide range of leading institutions, including The West African Development Bank, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Global Affairs Canada, African Development Bank, Private Infrastructure Development Group, African Guarantee Fund, Trade and Development Bank, as well as the Governments of Switzerland, Ghana, Indonesia, and Ethiopia, among others. He serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Africa Green Economy Summit and as an Advisory Committee Member of the Africa Social Impact Exchange. In addition, he is a lecturer and Advisory Board Member at the Initiative for Blended Finance at the University of Zurich. Aakif has spoken at global policy and investment forums including the OECD Private Finance for Development Conference, East Africa Banking Forum, London Climate Week, Green Climate Fund Private Investment for Climate Conference, Uganda Development Finance Summit, Latin American Impact Investing Forum, and Sankalp Africa Forum. He has also written extensively on international development finance issues for numerous publications. He holds an MBA from the University of Toronto and a BA in Economics and Politics from George Washington University. Currently based in Kigali, Rwanda, Aakif has worked across a diverse range of markets, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Colombia, Kenya, India, Tanzania, and Jordan.