Portraits
Africans are not perceived in the same way depending on the different regions of the world where they are located. Generally speaking, there are still many prejudices about Africans and their leaders, which seriously harms their image. However, it seems essential to us to combat clichés and stereotypes against Africans. To do this, CIPINA will work to highlight some African personalities, from various backgrounds and who proudly carry the African colors in their fields of predilection.
These African success stories will be presented in this section to give another perception of Africa and Africans. In reality, what can these “ambassadors” bring to CIPINA? Why are they asked to get involved in our mission? The notoriety of certain African personalities presents obvious advantages for CIPINA, insofar as stars do not go unnoticed . They are able to draw the world’s attention to the potential of the New Africa , both in their own countries and abroad. They can take concrete action on the ground by speaking directly to those who are in a position to make things happen, to make decisions, the decision makers. These African personalities can use their talent and notoriety to raise funds and advocate for Africans , and support CIPINA’s mission, which is to promote, among other things, a positive image of a New Africa , one that is forward-looking, uninhibited, competent and concerned about its development.
President Abdou DIOUF
President Abdou DIOUF
and finally President of the Republic of Senegal on January 1, 1981, following the resignation of Senghor, and was reappointed to office during the elections of 1983, 1988 and 1993. During his reign, he worked effectively for the rooting of democracy in Senegal, ardently defending the progressive liberalization of the economy and decentralization.
Secretary General of the OIF since October 20, 2002, he contributes to the influence of Senegal and Africa in the world and defends the idea of a united and united Africa. A great defender of peace, he is a member of the honorary committee of the Chirac Foundation, launched in 2008 by the former French Head of State Jacques Chirac to work for peace in the world. The exceptional career of this great statesman is also marked by the receipt of several international distinctions, the most remarkable of which are:
The Prix de la Francophonie, in 2001, awarded by the Academy of Sports for his work in favor of the Francophonie and sport.
- The title of Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2007 and Grand Officer in 2011.
- The title of doctor honoris causa from the Jean Monnet University of Saint-Étienne in 2007 and from the Paul-Valéry University of Montpellier.
- The title of doctor honoris causa from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne in 2009.
- The title of doctor honoris causa from the University of Lausanne in 2010
- The title of doctor honoris causa from the University of Liège in 2011
- The title of doctor honoris causa from the Higher Institute of Management of Dakar in 2012
- The REUBELL Prize in 2013 in Paris awarded by the International Institution of the History of Notaries and which rewards a notary or a politician who has distinguished himself in the public life of his country
His Excellency Mr. Baudelaire NDONG ELLA, Permanent Representative of Gabon to the United Nations in Geneva
Ambassador NDONG ELLA with the Director of CIPINA
Baudelaire Ndong Ella , Permanent Representative of Gabon to the United Nations in Geneva since May 2011, is currently President of the Human Rights Council since this year 2014. Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Ndong Ella served as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Gabon to the African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa, since November 2009.
From 2007 to 2009, he was Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Gabon in Ethiopia, at the Permanent Mission of the African Union, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and for the United Nations Environment Programme.
A career diplomat, Mr. Ndong Ella held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Ambassador and Deputy Director General for International Cooperation.
Mr. Ndong Ella holds a Master’s degree in international law from the University of Nantes, a diploma from the ENA of Gabon, a Master’s degree in public law from the University Omar Bongo in Gabon and a Bachelor’s degree in public law from the same university. He was born on 9 May 1967 in Oyem, Gabon, is married and has five children.
The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations system, composed of 47 States elected by the General Assembly. The Council was established by the General Assembly on 15 March 2006, to succeed the Commission on Human Rights.
The Human Rights Council holds three regular sessions annually in Geneva, in March, June and September.
His Excellency Mr. Ridha Bouabid, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the International Organization of La Francophonie to the United Nations in Geneva, and other international organizations in Switzerland
A lawyer by training and a career diplomat, he has been working for the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) since the early 1990s. Committed to the process of opening up the Francophonie to other actors in the international community and its presence in major international organizations, he was the first ambassador of the Francophonie to the United Nations in New York, where he spent 10 years. He arrived in Geneva in 2010, where he worked to consolidate the place of the Francophonie in the many organizations based there and to contribute to the major role of this small city on
the international level. “It is the capital of global governance,” he says, Geneva being home to the overwhelming majority of the United Nations specialized agencies.” Today, this brilliant Tunisian diplomat seeks to strengthen the investments of UN organizations in French-speaking countries, but also to stimulate a “common voice” for French-speaking countries within international institutions. A task that he was able to develop on several occasions during his mandate in New York and that he recently succeeded in promoting brilliantly within the Human Rights Council: “We have formed a solid French-speaking bloc, with more and more common positions nourished by shared values.” He also attaches particular importance to the “original” contribution of the French-speaking world in terms of promoting peace, democracy and human rights and in particular to the support it provides to French-speaking countries in crisis or emerging from crisis. Nevertheless, he is not without noting some risks for the future of international Geneva: “We see more and more activities moving to other regions of the world. I am attached to the idea of a strong international Geneva.”
Tidjane Thiam, an African at the head of Crédit Suisse, the country's 2nd largest bank: history
The Swiss bank Credit Suisse announced on the morning of March 10, 2015 the departure of its CEO Brady Dougan and his replacement from the end of June by Tidjane Thiam , currently at the head of the British insurer Prudential . The Franco-Ivorian businessman will thus take the helm of one of the world’s leading financial institutions, founded in the mid-19th century in Zurich and with more than 45,000 employees and approximately 1,200 billion euros in assets under management. Highly profitable, this banking giant has however seen its recent news disrupted by a record conviction in the United States: at the beginning of 2014, Credit Suisse had agreed to pay 2.8 billion dollars for having advised and helped some of its American clients to prepare “truncated tax returns”. Which did not prevent it from announcing profits of approximately 2 billion euros at the beginning of February.
The Swiss group, specializing in private banking, investment banking and asset management, is present in fifty countries around the world.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this great institution and in particular to follow Brady, who has been a regularly distinguished CEO. Credit Suisse has an exceptional business, great people, a solid strategy and strong momentum… I look forward to working with the management team, the Board of Directors, and all employees of Credit Suisse to maintain the strong momentum and serve our clients in Switzerland and around the world,” Tidjane Thiam stressed in a press release issued by Credit Suisse.
Tidjane Thiam was born in 1962 in Ivory Coast. He is related through his mother to the family of Félix Houphouët-Boigny. His father Amadou Thiam, a Franco-Senegalese journalist, had just launched Radio Côte d’Ivoire. He studied at the École Polytechnique and the École nationale supérieure des Mines in Paris. He would also later obtain an MBA from INSEAD before joining McKinsey in the 1980s. He then worked for the Ivorian government of Henri Konan Bédié, where he was Minister of Planning and Development and headed the famous National Bureau of Technical Studies and Development (BNETD), a public institution behind the major infrastructure projects in the West African country. In 1999, after five years in his home country, Tidjane Thiam left Côte d’Ivoire after the coup d’état. He then returned to McKinsey before joining the Aviva insurance group in 2002. He joined another British insurance group, Prudential , in 2008, first as CFO before being appointed CEO in 2009. He was then the first black director of a company listed on the ” footsie” , the index of the largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. He accelerated Prudential ‘s shift to Asia before tackling Africa more recently, by buying insurers in Ghana (Express Life Insurance) and then in Kenya (Shield Insurance) from the end of 2013. The Franco-Ivorian believes that his move to London allowed him to break through the “glass ceiling” that prevented him from reaching very high positions in France. “All my friends had job interviews except me,” he explained a few years ago to the French daily Les Echos , specifying that one of his teachers had given him this advice: “Go and see the Anglo-Saxons!” (Young Africa)
Moustapha Niasse, CIPINA Advisor
Moustapha Niasse is a Senegalese politician born on November 4, 1939 in Keur Madiabel. Prime Minister in 1983 and between 2000 and 2001, he has been President of the National Assembly since 2012. He studied at the Lycée Faidherbe in Saint-Louis, then at the University of Dakar and finally in Paris. He is also a graduate of the National School of Administration of Senegal , from which he graduated top of his class . After a career in the senior civil service where he was chief of staff to President Senghor , Moustapha Niasse was appointed Minister of Urban Planning, Housing and the Environment on March 15, 1979 and Minister of Foreign Affairs on September 19, 1979, then Prime Minister in April 1983 for one month. In June 1993, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs again until July 1998 when he was appointed representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the Great Lakes countries.
In 2000, he was a candidate for the Alliance of Forces of Progress (AFP) in the presidential election. He came third in the first round held on 27 February 2000 with 16.8%. Following the victory of Abdoulaye Wade , he was appointed Prime Minister . On 12 June 2002, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed him special envoy to help the Congolese parties reach an inclusive agreement on power-sharing during the transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2005, he was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a member of the High Council for the Alliance of Civilizations. On December 19, 2006, the Alternative Coalition 2007, bringing together 10 opposition political parties, nominated him as a candidate for the 2007 presidential election. On February 25, 2007, during the first round of the presidential election (which saw the re-election of President Wade), he won 203,129 votes, or 5.93% of the votes cast, according to the final results announced by the Constitutional Council on March 11. Moustapha Niasse has also created several companies including International Trading Oil and Commodities. He is one of the candidates running for the 2012 Senegalese presidential election. The Unity and Rally Candidacy is supported by the Bennoo Siggil Senegaal Coalition , made up of 49 political parties, citizen movements and individual personalities who are signatories to the Ethical and Democratic Commitment Pact. On July 30, 2012, he was elected President of the National Assembly with 126 votes out of 146 voters. He was the head of the list of the Bennoo Bokk Yaakaar coalition (BBY, presidential movement) in the legislative elections of July 1, 2012. On October 13, 2015, he was re-elected President of the National Assembly for a 5-year term.