A former executive director and three senior staff members of the African Development Bank (AfDB) have been appointed to high public office in their respective countries.
The appointees are André Nzapayeke, Prime Minister of Central African Republic (CAR); Abdirahman Beileh, minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia; and two Tunisians - Hakim Ben Hammouda and Lassaad Lachaal -- appointed minister of Economy and Finance, and minister of Agriculture, respectively.
Mr. André Nzapayeke was appointed Prime Minister of the transitional government of the Central African Republic (CAR) on 25 January 2014. He was socio-economist at the AfDB before he was elected to be the Executive Director representing central African countries. He was until his recent appointment the Vice-President of the Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC). Previously, Mr. Nzapayeke also served as Minister of Rural Development. He worked in International organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
Mr. Hakim Ben Hammouda was until his appointment, Special Adviser to the President of the AfDB, Donald Kaberuka. He holds a Doctorate Degree from the Université de Grenoble, France. Prior to his work at the AfDB, Mr. Ben Hammouda held key positions including, Director of the Training and Technical Cooperation Institute of the World Trade Organization, Geneva, Switzerland and Director of Commerce, Finance and Economic Development Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mr. Lassaad Lachaal was a Knowledge Management and Capacity Building Expert at the African Development Institute of the AfDB until his new appointment. Mr. Lachaal served as a Director of Research and Head of Rural Development at the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Tunis, as well as consultant for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). He holds a Ph.D. in Rural Development from Columbia University in New York, USA. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Agronomy of Tunis.
Mr. Abdirahman Beileh held several senior positions in the AfDB including Director of Special Programs, Director of Operations for southern African countries and Coordinator of the Africa Water Facility in the Bank until his new appointment. Mr. Beileh holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin, USA.
