Monique BOLMIN is Managing Partner and Founder of EKWA Consulting. She is a French attorney with over 30 years of experience, specializing in legal, institutional and regulatory aspects of infrastructure investment transactions (e.g., Lease Management and Concession Contracts, BOT, and BOO), as well as project and corporate financing, involving export credit agencies, private banking, and international lending institutions. Her sector experience includes transportation, electricity, water, waste treatment, renewable energy, telecommunication and mobile financing, with an emphasis on privatization, divestiture, public-private partnership and restructuring investment strategies.

Monique is a recognized expert in all contractual matters related to PPPs with significant experience in private sector development and the analysis of public utilities and public infrastructure from the legal, institutional and regulatory perspectives, as they relate to the feasibility and implementation of PPP projects in various sectors. For the last 10 years she has been involved in the design of legal framework relating to the evaluation, structuring and implementation of PPP infrastructure projects, as well as advising contractual authorities in the development of these partnerships in the African and Middle Eastern Region, Eastern Europe and CIS, as well as other emerging countries. In West Africa, Monique has worked in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria and Togo.

Monique has worked as Legal Consultant for Emergence Consult and the African Development Bank, and she has also held managerial positions within major French industrial groups. From 2000 to 2002 she was Deputy General Counsel – Europe, CIS, Africa, for Schlumberger Oilfield Services, and from 1998 to 2000 she was Legal Director at Alstom Transport System. In particular, Monique has gained significant experience in assessing, negotiating and implementing PPP and other major infrastructure projects.

During her tenure at the African Development Bank from 2002 to 2004, Monique was in charge of private sector projects (corporate and project finance), including due diligence and investment appraisals in several African countries. She has advised numerous government bodies and agencies in developing PPP legislation and structuring PPP projects (Algeria, Burundi, Nigeria, Jordan, COMESA, CEEAC, EAC member countries).

Monique has also advised numerous government bodies and agencies in developing PPP legislation (Algeria, Burundi, COMESA, CEEAC, EAC member countries, Haiti).

Monique is a recognized expert in all contractual matters related to PPPs.

She is a member of the Paris Bar. She obtained her LL.M in 1987 from Harvard Law School, where she was a Fulbright and Harvard Law School Scholar. Monique holds Master of Law in European and International Law from University Of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne, as well as DEA Post-Graduate Studies in International Relations.

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Karim MEDJAD is a Partner and co-founder of EKWA Consulting. He is both a practicing attorney, and a scholar in the field of private sector participation, business climate and FDI policy. Karim holds the Chair of International Development of the Enterprises at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (CNAM), where he teaches international contract law.

Karim has 30 years of experience in negotiating and drafting international contracts (e.g., concession, privatization, high tech joint venture, etc.) and as a senior advisor at ministerial level in the design and implementation of policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks on a comprehensive range of issues(privatization, arbitration, FDI, WTO and EC accession, SME development…) with an emphasis on private sector participation and co-regulation processes.

Karim also has an extensive knowledge of East and West Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Finally, as a professor with an experience of 25 years worldwide, Karim has an extensive experience in curriculum and module design and  delivery, for students and professionals.

Karim Medjad is a member of the Paris Bar and obtained a LL.M degree from Harvard Law School, a DEA in International Law and a PhD in Economics from the University of Paris 1 (Pantheon-Sorbonne).

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Alain KOFFI is an international business lawyer with over 20 years of experience, specializing in corporate finance and securities regulations and international finance law in developing countries. He has recently worked on Beneficial Ownership Transparency legal framework in the extractive industry and public procurement in West African countries as well as Anti-Money Laundering and Financing Terrorism regulations and KYC requirements in the gaming sector. As UNDP’s Financial Systems Expert and Program Manager for the Payment Program for Ebola Response Workers (PPERW) in Liberia and as part of his functions he conducted a diagnostic of Liberia financial systems infrastructures and a diagnostic on mobile payments and a feasibility study for the possible introduction of a mobile money payment aggregator to develop Digital Financial Services in Liberia. From 2006 to 2008 Alain worked as a legal consultant for the Investigation Section (OAI) of UNDP in New York; where he conducted various investigations on cases of alleged wrongdoings in UNDP field offices in Africa.

Alain Koffi worked a few years as a full-time legal consultant at the Legal Services Department (GECL2) of the African Development Bank in Abidjan and Tunis, where he provided legal services to AfDB’s management in connection with the legal aspects of the bank’s administration and finance issues (preparing, negotiating and implementing contracts related to bond issues, derivatives and treasury operations). Other noticeable achievements include his position as co-head of investment banking for Hudson & Company in Abidjan, where Alain participated in various fund-raising transactions for private and public companies as well as in most privatizations in Ivory Coast, advising major companies in the banking and agro-industry sectors.

Mr. Koffi has an LLM degree specializing in securities regulations and international finance from Georgetown University; in Washington DC, and he is admitted to the New York bar since 1995.

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Marcia Jane WINITZER is an American lawyer with 35 years of professional experience in French, US, and international law. After receiving Masters of Law degrees from both Harvard University and the University of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne, Marcia has divided her professional activities between practicing and teaching the law. As a practicing attorney, she is particularly skilled in international tax law, litigation and contracts. As a professor at Sciences Po Paris, for over 20 years, she taught subjects comparative constitutional law, international business law as well as the impact of the law on moral and social issues, such as the death penalty in the United States.  Drawing upon her educational background with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard, she instituted an adapted version of Negotiation Workshop in the business law Masters program at Sciences Po, Paris, a version of which is continues to be taught in many departments. Marcia has led workshops for many graduate programs in various countries, where she draws on the depth and breadth of her experience to educate and build capacity. Thirty-five years into her career, Ms. Winitzer is still broadening her areas of expertise and honing her capabilities in all matters of the law. Marcia holds a D.E.A. (Masters of Law) in European Law from the University of Panthéon-Sorbonne, a LL.M degree from Harvard Law School, a Juris Doctor from Northeastern Law School of Boston and she is admitted at the Massachusetts and Florida Bar.  

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