Land governance and management

Urban Development Technical Facility, as part of INTPA F.4.

The UDTF focuses on supporting partner countries in their urban development challenges. It delivers technical assistance and policy advice to improve the quality and impact of the EU’s interventions in urban development at all levels—local, regional and global—with a focus on Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Integrated urban planning coupled with greener infrastructure and coordinated urban expansion can increase a city’s urban resilience while minimizing the negative environmental impacts of human settlement.

You can contact the UDTF team by filling out the personal contact form below.

Attaché de Coopération, Chargé de programmes, Section infrastructures et développement durable

I have been working as a field inspector for the Norwegian Environment Agency since 2013. Some of my tasks are within the field of non-food consumer product safety with regard to chemical properties (RoHS, REACH, CLP, POPs), European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) and CITES.

I have a masters degree in archaeology and previously worked as an environmental crimes coordinator with the Oslo Police Department.

I am a senior executive with 20+ years of experience in programme management, trade and investments, with a strong track record in EU- and donor-financed projects. I have worked extensively in Ukraine, the EU and partner countries, implementing programmes that supported democratic transition, institutional strengthening, private sector development and European integration.

As founder and director of EuroExpert, I have led advisory projects under EU4Business, GIZ and other donor initiatives, supporting SMEs, business associations and civil society to access EU markets, improve competitiveness and build cross-border partnerships. I also co-founded the European-Ukrainian Bridge e.V., an NGO with 11 offices across Europe, mobilising civil society and fostering EU-Ukraine integration.

My career includes senior management roles in international companies such as KAEFER and Hilti, where I directed multimillion-euro operations, negotiated investment projects across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and built international teams. I also managed operations of an IT company in the US, leading digital transformation and organisational development.

I am fluent in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian, with working knowledge of Polish and Czech. I am an active member of the Professional Government Association of Ukraine (PGA Ukraine), engaging in governance and policy dialogue. My expertise lies in designing and implementing EU programmes, managing multi-stakeholder processes, and building sustainable partnerships between the EU, Ukraine and neighbouring regions.

I am particularly interested in contributing to projects under DG NEAR and DG INTPA, focusing on trade, investment, digitalisation, civil society support and resilience building in Eastern Partnership and Central Asia countries. My motivation is to bridge business, government and civil society for long-term impact.

In 2018, I co-founded Inflection Finance, a boutique finance consulting firm specializing in Impact Investment solutions for developing countries. Our mission is to increase the flow of effective capital to achieve meaningful and sustainable development outcomes by bridging the gap between domestic and international finance. To accomplish this, we design, implement, and monitor innovative partnerships between governments and private entities (both for-profit and non-profit).

Our firm excels in designing and promoting long-term financing strategies for countries, assisting private corporations in strategizing their long-term expansion, and supporting foundations to maximize their venture philanthropy investments. We specialize in creating and implementing impact investment vehicles that blend concessional and impact capital. This includes issuing sovereign or private SDG-themed Bonds (Green, Blue, SLB, Gender), negotiating Debt for Nature Swaps, developing green and blue carbon-based financing vehicles, Social Impact Bonds (SIBs), and other innovative mechanisms to finance public goods development.

We have also developed advanced impact measurement systems that integrate satellite technology, machine learning, and advanced forecasting techniques. Our diverse clientele includes governments, private investors, and international Foundations. We have assembled a global team of highly experienced professionals dedicated to supporting our projects.

I bring over 30 years of experience as a senior development consultant, providing independent consulting services to multilateral banks (IADB, WB), multilateral cooperation agencies (UN, EuropeAid), and bilateral agencies (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Spain). My expertise has supported Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers of Finance and Planning, and Ministers of Education, Health, and Environment. My field experience spans 55 countries across four continents.

Additionally, I served as a senior advisor to the President of the IADB for over ten years. I have held high-profile managerial and advisory positions with international INGOs (Foundation of the Americas, the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, Levi Strauss Foundation, Esquel Group Foundation) and private corporations.

Francis Dakyaga holds an integral background in rural and urban development planning. He holds Ph.D in Spatial Planning from TU-Dortmund, Germnay. MS.c in Urban and Regional Development Planning and Management from TU-Dortmund University, Germany and Ardhi University, Tanzania. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Integrated Community Development from the University for Development Studies, Ghana.
Practically, he gained diverse experiences via consultancies with local and International Non-Governmental Organisations and National public departments (e.g. TI-Germany, GII, Care International Ghana, CIKOD, Send Ghana, ActionAid, Vibrant Village Foundation etc) in the areas of Development research, Project monitoring and evaluation; Ex-ante evaluation, Impact evaluations and Ex-post Evaluation, Project management, Project Appraisal, urban land management, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA), Climate change, Rural development, Poverty and Vulnerability Analysis.
His academic interests are in the areas of; urban planning, management of urban informalities, Urban development control, Urban infrastructure an