Maria Sarraf is the Practice Manager for the Environment, Natural Resources and the Blue Economy in West Africa. Maria, a Lebanese national, joined the Bank in 1997 and has a long-standing experience in the environment sector. She has held various positions in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia and more recently in Sub Saharan Africa. She has task managed projects air and water pollution, waste management, coastal embankment and natural resources management, and has authored numerous publications on the cost of environmental degradation. She holds a master’s degree in environmental and natural resources economics from The University College of London, in England and a master’s degree in economics from McGill University in Canada.