Wubanchi Tesso Wakoya

Wubanchi is Urban Development Project Manager at WRI Africa. As part of her role, Wubanchi works with city agencies, local and international partners to research and implement sustainable and resilient urban development in African cities.  

Prior to joining WRI, she worked as an urban development specialist with Addis Ababa city. In this role she worked with Addis Ababa city and key stakeholders to identify, define, develop and implement priority urban resilience initiatives. Her experience in urban development includes master plans, infrastructure plans and integration, urban resilience and mix-use urban development projects, land use and zoning. In addition, she led a team of experts at the Federal Integrated Infrastructure Development Coordination Agency, and she worked as a lecturer and researcher with the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development at Addis Ababa University.

Wubanchi holds a master’s degree in Development Studies and a B.Sc. degree in Urban and Regional Planning. She is passionate about advocating for the underserved and vulnerable and about building resilient communities. She enjoys hiking, swimming, and volunteering.