Cynthia Akuetteh, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.

Ambassador Akuetteh previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs from 2012-2013, and Director of the Office of Europe, Middle East and Africa in the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources, which was established to lead the State Department in the whole of government effort to promote international energy security.

Prior to assuming this position, she was Director of the Office of Central African Affairs, where she oversaw bilateral relations with ten countries, mostly unstable or in conflict. Before taking up the directorship of Central Africa, she was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan from 2007-2009. She was the Deputy Chief of Mission in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 2005-2007. Previously she served as the Deputy Director of the Africa Bureau’s Economic Policy Staff, where she focused on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and other trade issues.

In earlier assignments in the State Department, the Ambassador served as the Deputy Division Chief in the Office of Bilateral Trade Affairs, International Economist in the Office of Economic Sanctions, senior Venezuela Desk Officer and International Economist in the Office of Energy Policy. She also completed a detail at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, where she worked on trade and environment issues. Her other overseas tours include Ottawa, Canada; Niamey, Niger and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Before joining the Foreign Service, she worked for Peace Corps and served as the Peace Corps Deputy Country Director for Ghana.

The Ambassador holds a B.A. (Honors) from C.W. Post College of Long Island University and a Master’s in National Security Resource Policy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University. She is also the recipient of numerous Department of State awards and is a member of the Association of Black American Ambassadors.