Sophie Moody Conteh is an expert in international affairs with a particular focus on the monitoring and evaluation of countries as part of the United Nations’ programs. First joining the United Nations Development Programme in 2009, she served as a result-based management specialist for three years before being elevated to the rank of monitoring and evaluation specialist in 2012. Ms. Conteh served in this capacity until 2015, at which point she was an evaluation specialist in the Regional Service Center for seven years until 2022. Since then, she has excelled as a regional programme specialist for the Country Oversight and Support Team, United Nations Development Programme.
In her role as a regional programme specialist, Ms. Conteh maintains responsibility for managing three countries – Ghana, South Togo and Cameroon – by addressing their support and capacity-building requirements. She also meets with teams within the United Nations Development Programme across various departments to coordinate and ensure the best possible support for each country. Alongside these tasks, Ms. Conteh aids in the development of country programs and assists in the creation of evaluation plans at the programs’ conclusions, ensuring that they are evaluated satisfactorily. As such, Ms. Conteh is responsible for providing quality assurance to implement such evaluations and helps articulate future program plans. To wit, she is committed to ensuring that each program adheres to the processes, policies, and tools placed, monitoring and reviewing their progress, as well as budgetary concerns. To this end, she facilitates executing oversight tasks by providing country offices with the necessary tools and resources to succeed.
Early in life, Ms. Conteh was involved in her father’s Money Women’s Project, which supported women agriculturists and encouraged Ms. Conteh to study agriculture. Attending Njala University College, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture in 1994. After several years, she also received a Master of Science in sustainable rural development from the Royal Agriculture College in 2003. Ms. Conteh first served as an extension agent, working with her father to assist women in his program. After being hired by World Vision, however, Ms. Conteh understood that she derived fulfillment from helping others and changing lives. Therefore, she shifted her focus from agriculture to monitoring and evaluation to better support other individuals’ needs.
Although her career has been punctuated with significant milestones, Ms. Conteh is particularly proud of her tenure in Zimbabwe, where she served as a monitoring specialist and evaluated the country’s systems to determine their adherence to corporate policies and procedures. Notably, she developed a comprehensive strategy to improve antiquated processes, ensure proper closure of completed projects, and address complaints on donor reporting. As a result, they received a satisfactory management audit. Looking toward the future, Ms. Conteh aims to continue advancing in her career while focusing on the support and growth of her family.
