Sahana Arun Kumar

Sahana is the co-founder of Amarante, a boutique advisory firm at the convergence of digital public infrastructure, inclusive finance, and emerging market development. Based in Paris and originally from India, she brings eighteen years of experience across in-country implementation and global strategy spanning Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. She works with startups, corporates, public sector institutions, multilaterals, donor and development finance entities to ensure foundational digital systems translate into real access and opportunity.

At this conference, Sahana presents research on Digital Public Infrastructure in Ethiopia, examining how DPI - spanning identity, payments, and data infrastructure - is being built, governed, and funded in one of Africa's most consequential digital transformation contexts, with a focus on open architecture, sovereignty, and inclusive governance.

She is also a committed advocate for women's economic resilience and the meaningful inclusion of women in digital economies and business leadership.

Fluent in English, French, Hindi, and Spanish, Sahana moves fluidly between policy dialogue, technical assistance, and on-the-ground implementation across Francophone, Anglophone, and Hispanophone ecosystems.

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