KAMPALA, Uganda — Damali Ssali, a veteran development leader with a track record of orchestrating $250 million in investments, has been appointed as the new country director for GAIN Uganda, the organization announced Wednesday. Ssali is tasked with leading a systemic transformation of Uganda’s food system to improve nutrition and promote healthier lives.
Ssali’s career trajectory began in London’s financial services sector with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), an experience she said “ignited her passion for development and social impact.”
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Upon her return to Uganda, Ssali served as country director at TradeMark Africa (TMA) for nine years. In that role, she oversaw investments totaling $250 million, leading to the construction of key infrastructure projects like the Gulu Logistics Hub and seven one-stop border posts, including those at Busia, Malaba and Elegu. These initiatives aimed to streamline trade processes and enhance Uganda’s connectivity to regional and global markets.
Ssali was also instrumental in the development of Uganda’s National Trade Facilitation Systems and facilitated the country’s ratification of both the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement. Her leadership in automating trade processes resulted in annual savings of $32.9 million for businesses by 2018.
Before joining GAIN Uganda, Ssali was the chief of programs and projects at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda. There, she designed Uganda’s first $1 billion Private Sector Catalytic Fund and successfully raised $10 million in new project financing. She also implemented the Lead Firm Structure project, which generated more than 174,000 direct jobs and 523,000 indirect jobs for Ugandans under 35 years old.
Ssali is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and has completed executive programs in leadership at Harvard Business School, impact investing at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and innovation management at France’s Grenoble Graduate School of Business.
In her new role at GAIN Uganda, Ssali’s mission is to champion inclusive, scalable and sustainable solutions for nutrition. Colleagues describe her as a leader with “strategic insight, global expertise, and deep commitment to inclusive growth and economic transformation.”
Beyond her professional achievements, Ssali is an ambassador for Ugandan women entrepreneurs, a published author and the founder of a platform that highlights African innovators and changemakers.
