Doulaye Kone

Member, Board of Governors

Doulaye Kone (Côte d’Ivoire) is the Director of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene program at the Gates Foundation.

He joined the Board in July 2025.

With over two decades of experience in sanitary engineering, Kone has dedicated his career to transforming how sanitation services are delivered to underserved communities. 

At the Gates Foundation, Kone has been instrumental in pioneering the Reinvent the Toilet initiative — an ambitious effort to develop and scale safe, affordable, off-grid, and water-efficient sanitation technologies. He also launched the Inclusive Sanitation Service initiative, which formally integrates fecal sludge management as a core component of citywide inclusive sanitation planning and service delivery, ensuring more comprehensive and equitable solutions. 

In a landmark contribution to global sanitation standards, Kone chaired the development of the first performance ISO standard for pathogen-killing sanitation systems. This standard has been adopted by more than 30 countries and now serves as a foundational pillar for a water-efficient, climate-resilient sanitation industry. 

Kone is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Water Association (IWA). 

Before joining the Gates Foundation in 2011, Kone led water operators’ partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa for the African Water and Sanitation Association, fostering peer learning and capacity building among utilities. He has also served as a lecturer and advisor for institutions across Africa, Asia and Europe, contributing to the academic and technical advancement of the sector.