Heeno International

In loving memory of our founder, who led Heeno International from its creation in 2011 until his passing in 2026. (See our tribute on the home page.)

Dr. Karamo NM Sonko was a distinguished Gambian economist and social scientist, born in Sintet, The Gambia. He devoted his life to development, ethical enterprise, and humanitarian service across Africa and beyond.

In recent years he was:

1. Founder and Chairman of Heeno International, The Gambia's first pan-African humanitarian foundation;
2. Chairman of TAF Africa Global;
3. Founder and CEO of Jula Consultancy (Sharjah, UAE);
4. Founder of Sables Sustainable Mining Consultancy; and
5. Strategic Adviser to the Managing Director and CEO of Perseus Mining.

Over a distinguished career spanning four continents, he also served as:

1. Chief Strategist for Africa, Orca Gold Inc. (Vancouver, Canada);
2. Executive Vice President of Sand Metals (Vancouver, Canada);
3. Vice President and Deputy Director-General of Tasiast Mauritania Ltd., a subsidiary of Red Back Mining Inc. (a Lundin Group, and now Kinross, subsidiary);
4. Special Advisor to the Lundin Foundation (Vancouver, Canada);
5. Economist, International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C.;
6. Executive Secretary, African Business Round Table, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, and Johannesburg, South Africa;
7. Associate Expert, the Organization for African Unity (now African Union), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
8. Post-Doctoral Fellow and Economics Affairs Officer, UN Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
9. Adjunct Professor at the Daniels Business School, University of Denver; the Department of Economics, University of Colorado at Denver; and the School of Professional Studies, Regis University, Colorado;
10. Visiting Scientist, Department of Political Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver;
11. Lecteur, Department of Foreign Languages: Administration and Business, University of Paris VIII, France; and
12. Special Correspondent of African Business magazine (London).

He advised and consulted for many international organizations and multinational investors with regard to business in Africa, including:

1. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva, Switzerland;
2. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Khartoum, Sudan;
3. Moroccan Association of Exporters (ASMEX), Casablanca, Morocco;
4. Nexant, San Francisco, USA;
5. Mercuria, Geneva, Switzerland;
6. UN OSAA, New York, N.Y.;
7. Eskom, Johannesburg, South Africa;
8. Standard Corporate Merchant Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa;
9. Anglovaal Mining, Johannesburg, South Africa; and
10. Stocks and Stocks, Johannesburg, South Africa.

A prolific author, he wrote and co-authored several books on African development, economics, and sustainability, including Economic Justice in Africa: Adjustment and Sustainable Development, Demystifying Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): Charting the ESG Course in Africa, and 21st Century African Development Strategies, alongside many academic papers and articles. He was a recipient of a research award from the IRTI of the Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia).

He held a B.A. (First Class) in Public Administration and Sociology from the University of Swaziland, a Master of Philosophy in Development Economics and Politics from the University of Cambridge, and a Ph.D. (with Distinction) in International Economics and Development from the Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver.

Above all, Dr. Sonko was a humanitarian who devoted his life and means to serving the poor and the needy. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.