Leadership

H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki of the Republic of Niger is the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency - NEPAD. He was appointed to the position in January 2009.

A former Prime Minister of Niger, from 1997 to 2000, Dr. Mayaki has a Master' degree from the National School of Public Administration (Enap), Quebec, Canada and a PhD in Administrative Sciences from the University of Paris I, France. He worked as a Professor of Public Administration in Niger and Venezuela. From 1996 to 1997 he was appointed Minister in charge of African Integration and Cooperation and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Niger. In August 2000, he set up the Analysis Centre for Public Policy in Senegal. From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Mayaki was a guest Professor at the University of Paris XI, where he lectured on international relations. He also led research at the Research Centre on Europe and the Contemporary World within that university. In 2004, he served as Executive Director of the Platform in support of Rural Development in West and Central Africa, the Rural Hub, based in Dakar, Senegal.

CEO’s Corner

H.E. Paul Kagame is President of the Republic of Rwanda. He served a one-year term as Chairperson of the African Union until February 2019, and has been leading the institutional reform of the African Union since 2016. He is currently the Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC). Beginning in 1990, as commander of the forces of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), he led the struggle to liberate Rwanda.

The RPF halted the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, which claimed over a million victims. The hallmarks of President Kagame’s administration are peace and reconciliation, women’s empowerment, promotion of investment and entrepreneurship, and access to information technology, a cause he also champions as Co-Chair of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, born on 21 June 1960, the Chadian Minister of Foreign Affair was elected as the new African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson. H.E. Mahamat speaks French, Arabic and English fluently and had occupied very senior positions with a thirty-year (30) experience. This lawyer was a Minister several times; he served as the director of Civil Cabinet of the President of the Republic, Prime Minister, Head of Government, and President of a Grand Institution of the Republic, namely; the Economic, Social and Cultural Council, where he had to carry out and manage major issues.

H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat chaired the Security Council for the month of December 2015 and general debate on December 19, 2015 on the theme “threats international peace and security; cross-border terrorism and crime”. Furthermore, he also chaired the Peace and Security Council of the AU in September 2013 and steered the Nairobi Extraordinary Summit on the fight against Terrorism.  African’s peace and security issues has been at the heart of Mr. Mahamat’s activities and many other missions geared towards the wellbeing of Africa.

The Chairperson of the Commission is the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the AU Chairperson’s Chief Accounting Officer. He is directly responsible to Executive Council for the discharge of his duties.