AUC Chairperson

The NEPAD Agency is overseen by the NEPAD HSGOC Chairperson, while the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) exercises supervisory authority over the Agency.

AUC Chairperson profile

H.E Dr Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission

Nationality: Gabonese.

Marital Status: Married with children.

Date and place of birth: 24 November 1942 in Omboué, (Etimbwé), Gabon.

Qualifications: Ph.D in Economic Sciences from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He holds two honorary doctorates from the Institute of Diplomacy in China and from the Institute of African Studies and Academy of Sciences in Moscow. He also holds an MPhil and a B.Sc, Economic Sciences from the University of Paris.

Career: From 1972 Mr Ping worked at UNESCO in Paris as an international civil servant in the Department of External Relations. From 1978 to 1984 he was Permanent Representative of Gabon to UNESCO. His diplomatic and political experience earned him the appointment by the Head of State, to the post of Director of the Civilian Staff, a post he occupied from 1984 to 1990.

In 1990 Mr Ping embarked on a government career path during which he successively occupied numerous high ranking positions.

He has led the Gabonese delegations to many African and international forums especially those of UNESCO, OAU, AU, Non Aligned Movement, Organisation of Islamic Conference and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Mr Ping also led his country's delegations to meetings of the World Bank, Summits of the Francophony, as well as to those of the Africa Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU). He discharged of highly important duties as Head of Delegation to the Summits of the Central African Customs and Economic Union, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States, and to NEPAD.

At the international level, Mr Ping's experience was demonstrated at the China-Africa Forum, at the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development and at US Africa conferences organised within the framework of the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). He was the President of the 59th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

For more information on the work of the AUC, please contact:
Division of Communication and Information
African Union Commission
P.O. Box 3243 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. Direct +251 115 514555, +251 115 517700 (ext. 236)
Fax. +251 115 511299
E-mail: dinfo@africa-union.org
Website: www.africa-union.org