Open to opportunities

Laila Saidu

@lailasaidu

Partnerships and programme operations specialist turning cross-sector strategies into scalable programmes in climate, education, and tech-for-impact.

Switzerland

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead partnerships and programme operations where I can coordinate multi-stakeholder ecosystems, turn strategy into delivery, and use AI to strengthen research, stakeholder insights, and implementation across climate, education, and workforce outcomes.

I’m a partnerships and programme operations specialist with 5+ years across the World Economic Forum, United Nations programmes (UNDP, ILO, UNHCR), and technology-enabled organisations. I translate partnership and strategic initiatives into operational programmes across climate, education, workforce development, and technology-for-impact. I also leverage AI tools to strengthen research, stakeholder analysis, content development, and day-to-day programme operations.

In my recent work, I’ve supported the deployment and evaluation of technology-enabled solutions across education, climate, infrastructure, and workforce development programmes across 5+ countries. I’ve managed end-to-end delivery of multi-stakeholder programmes—from partnership formation through deployment and execution. I’m experienced coordinating complex stakeholder ecosystems and engagement pipelines involving 100+ corporate, government, and nonprofit stakeholders across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

At Boma Ora Foundation, I led partnerships and fundraising strategy for education and health programmes, engaging 10+ technology and institutional partners exploring AI-enabled learning and service delivery in low-resource environments. I supported on-the-ground deployment of mobile ultrasound probes for antenatal care in low-resource hospital settings in Lagos, and I delivered outreaches with technology partners providing offline educational video platforms for schools in low-connectivity environments across Nigeria. I applied AI tools to accelerate proposal drafting, prospect research, and stakeholder communications across a lean team.

At UNDP, I coordinated engagement with 25+ technology startups during COP16’s Science, Technology and Innovation programmes and facilitated partnerships between 10+ emerging technology companies and multilateral and private-sector stakeholders exploring deployment at scale. Earlier at the World Economic Forum, I managed a 100+ company corporate engagement pipeline for Africa and Europe and convened 20+ multi-stakeholder meetings with 300+ participants. Across roles, I stay focused on ecosystem mapping, coalition building, and executive briefings—so teams can align fast and deliver measurable impact in emerging and fragile contexts.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Partnerships Lead

Boma Ora Foundation

Jan 2025 - May 2026 (1 year 4 months)

Led partnerships and fundraising strategy for education and health programmes, engaging 10+ institutional and technology partners exploring AI-enabled solutions in low-resource settings. Supported deployment of mobile ultrasound probes and offline educational video platforms across Nigeria, using AI tools to accelerate proposal drafting and stakeholder communications.

Partnership Management Fundraising Strategy Stakeholder Engagement Technology Partnerships Offline Learning Delivery Communication

COP16 Partnerships Consultant

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Oct 2024 - Dec 2024 (2 months)

Coordinated engagement with 25+ technology startups for COP16’s Science, Technology and Innovation programmes, facilitating technology deployment discussions for climate and development outcomes. Facilitated 10+ cross-sector partnerships and supported programming engaging 100+ participants on land degradation and nature-based solutions using AI-assisted content and digital workflows.

Tech Partnerships Event Programming Nature Based Solutions Large Language Models

Regional Coordinator (Africa & Europe)

World Economic Forum

Sep 2023 - May 2024 (8 months)

Managed a 100+ company corporate engagement pipeline across Africa and Europe, coordinating engagement, commitments, and implementation. Led 15+ partner dialogues and organized 20+ multi-stakeholder meetings with 300+ participants during Davos and other high-level events, synthesizing partner insights into workplan priorities with AI-assisted research.

Corporate Engagement Programme Coordination Ecosystem Mapping Partner Dialogue Facilitation Davos Event Coordination AI Research

Employment Intensive Programme Support

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Sep 2022 - Feb 2023 (5 months)

Coordinated programme implementation activities across 3+ infrastructure sectors (land, water, roads), supporting country teams with stakeholder engagement, action tracking, and reporting cycles. Partnered with 5+ technology and implementation partners deploying digital wage payment and construction technologies to improve efficiency and worker inclusion across global workstreams.

Stakeholder Engagement Action Tracking Digital Payments Cross Country Coordination

Donor Relations and Visibility Intern

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Dec 2021 - Jul 2022 (7 months)

Supported donor engagement and visibility for 5+ technology corporate partners, contributing to refugee connectivity and digital inclusion initiatives. Prepared briefing materials, partnership updates, and stakeholder reports, producing newsletters and digital content and coordinating talking points for 10+ senior leadership engagements.

Donor Relations Visibility & Communications Briefings Content Production Social Media Support Executive Briefings Newsletter Development

Project and Partnership Consultant

Essential Tech Centre, EPFL

Feb 2021 - Nov 2021 (9 months)

Assessed deployment of 3 technology solutions in low-resource and conflict-affected settings, including cloud-based water management in Lebanon, educational video tools in Haiti, and GPS-enabled employment mapping in Mozambique. Produced analytical reports and recommendations to support scalability and adoption, working directly with technology partners to review effectiveness and field implementa

Scalability Field Implementation Review Stakeholder Management Analytics Reporting Cloud Based Systems

Project Management Trainee

Development Africa NGO

Aug 2019 - Sep 2020 (1 year 1 month)

Led end-to-end delivery of solar-powered electricity infrastructure projects for community facilities, improving access to reliable power for schools and healthcare centres serving 1,000+ beneficiaries in Nigeria. Managed implementation partnerships with hospital stakeholders to support blue light therapy deployment for neonatal jaundice treatment with operational integration in low-resource healt

Project Management Infrastructure Delivery Solar Energy Projects Blue Light Therapy Deployment