Sackor: Infrastructure Has Human Impact

Engineer, business executive, diplomat, U.S. Army veteran, and licensed commercial pilot—Amara Soko Sackor (2010, M. Eng 2012) wears many hats. Originally from Liberia, he returned to his home country to assist in rebuilding efforts following successive civil wars in 1989-1977 and 1999-2003.

Among his many accomplishments, he currently serves as Liberia’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is a member of the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s advisory committee for Sub-Saharan Africa. He is also a board member of the Institutional Investor Network, a non-profit whose members account for over $1 trillion in assets under management.

The international consulting company he founded, TSC Global, supports infrastructure and development projects across West and Central Africa, and is currently expanding into South Asia and other parts of the globe.

The company works with global financial powerhouses, including the African Development Bank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development, the Islamic Development Bank, the Saudi Fund for Development, and the World Bank, which assist TSC with feasibility and environmental-social impact studies, risk mitigation tools, and with contractor procurement. Sackor, formerly its CEO, stepped down because of his diplomatic duties, but expresses satisfaction at having charted a successful course.

“Infrastructure isn’t just about the structures themselves—the roads, bridges, buildings, and powerlines. All these things are going to an end-user. It’s going to someone who depends on that road or powerline. It’s not a matter of ‘want’ but of ‘need’.”

H.E. Amara Soko Sackor, Liberian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and co-founder, TSC Global

“We’ve accomplished a lot, reaching 22 countries in Africa, and the new leadership team is already surpassing those milestones,” he said.

Infrastructure projects in developing countries require not only well-trained engineers but expert project managers, and financiers, and Sackor’s credentials cover all of these areas. His UMD education helped him hone this skill set, both through his core focus on structures and through courses in engineering finance and technical writing. “The technical writing course was a standout,” he says.
“The skills I learned have helped me at all stages of my career.”

Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st century is a place of astonishing contrasts, he says: communities often lack basic amenities yet have access to laptops and mobile phones. He’s seen doctors using iPhone flashlights while delivering babies during a power outage.

He’s also seen people grow sick because of drinking water contaminated by the gold mining industry, and farmers who lost produce due to a broken bridge or flooded-out road. “Infrastructure isn’t just about the structures themselves—the roads, bridges, buildings, and powerlines,” he said. “All these things are going to an end-user. It’s going to someone who depends on that road or powerline. It’s not a matter of ‘want’ but of ‘need’.”

“These kinds of issues are why I went into civil engineering, and why I later expanded into finance,” Sackor said. “Governments in the region lack access to capital, and don’t have much revenue to spend on infrastructure alone, as they have many competing priorities. They can’t build all the different types of infrastructure at the speed needed by a growing population. I have the capacity to do something about it, to go out and find the capital, plan, and supervise the projects, and ensure that the resources are used wisely and not wasted. I consider myself very fortunate to be in a position to help.”

Published June 1, 2026