Erinna Dia

Information

Biography

As the global lead for Early Childhood Development in UNICEF, Dr Erinna Dia is driven by the desire that all girls and boys get the best start in life through adequate policies, programmes and parenting practices that protect and fulfill the survival, growth and development rights of all children in early life, including in fragile and humanitarian settings. Dr Dia previously worked as Chief of Education in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, and Afghanistan. With the teams under her leadership, she achieved critical results for children in complex and nonpermissive political and operational environments. Before joining UNICEF, she held technical positions in the Human Development and Economics departments of the African Development Bank working with Regional Member Countries towards social transformation and growth generation through improved access to education, skills, technology and employment. Dr Dia has co-authored several papers and journal articles on parenting, and education challenges and opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa. She holds a PhD in International Education from New York University and an MBA from Lehigh University in the United States.