Addis Ababa — The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Carlos Lopes, on Thursday mourned the sudden death of Ambassador Amidou Toure, Burkina Faso's Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

Mr. Lopes said Ambassador Toure's death, which came hard-on-the-heels of the Tokyo International Conference of Africa's Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, becoming the last meeting for the Ambassador to attend and discuss the continent's development, came as a great shock.

"I learned with great sadness of the sudden passing of Ambassador Toure and I would like to convey my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as well as to the Government and the people of Burkina Faso," he said.

"The late Ambassador Toure was a great friend of Africa and dedicated to the development and transformation of the continent, his great ideas and vision for the continent will be missed."

Mr. Toure, who's survived by his wife Maimouna Quattara and daughters Jamilla and Sherrife, collapsed and died suddenly on the 1st of September.

At a memorial service held today in Addis Ababa, Ms. Giovannie Biha, Deputy Executive Secretary of the ECA delivered a eulogy on behalf of Dr. Lopes.

The passing on of Ambassador Toure, she said, is a loss to the diplomatic community in Addis Ababa but his words and deeds will stay with everyone he interacted with.

His remains have been repatriated to his country for burial.