Wame Gabaake is a development professional dedicated to advancing sustainable industrial development and inclusive value chains across Africa and the Global South. She holds a Master of Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and a Bachelor of Social Science from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan.
Wame currently serves as a Project Administrator at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), within the Division of Circular Economy and Green Industry, where she supports the implementation of projects in UNIDO’s critical minerals portfolio. In this role, she manages the operational aspects of technical cooperation projects while helping align programme delivery with global environmental frameworks on pollution reduction, circular economy practices, and responsible resource management. Her work has included supporting the responsible development of the copper supply chain in Zambia and the nickel supply chain in Indonesia.
Previously, Wame worked within UNIDO’s Regional Bureau for Africa, where she contributed to the design and implementation of the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III), a joint initiative led by UNIDO, the African Union Commission, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Through this work, she engaged directly with African Member States on the continent’s structural transformation, economic diversification, and industrialization priorities under Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA.
Wame is committed to deepening policy-relevant research on Africa’s role in the global energy transition, particularly the opportunities that rising demand for critical minerals presents for resource-rich African and Global South economies to build local value addition and pursue inclusive, sustainable industrialization.
Research Interests
- Critical Minerals & Mineral Value Chains
- Africa’s Industrialization & Structural Transformation
- Green Energy Transition & Resource Governance
