ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL – ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE & HUMAN RESOURCES


MR. GEORGES MANIURI

Mr. Georges Singana Maniuri brings to his post a significant and highly accomplished career as an experienced public official, having served at the highest level of Vanuatu’s civil service for 17 years. He has been Director General of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management of the Republic of Vanuatu since 2008, holding the same position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2005-2008 and also at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism from 1998 to 2005.

Throughout his career, Mr. Maniuri has played central roles in important developments for the country, including the revival of Vanuatu’s foreign services and the establishment of diplomatic missions in strategic locations around the world. Mr. Maniuri has also played prominent roles in the negotiations for the accession of Vanuatu to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and for the Pacific Island Trade Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and ACP-EU Economic Partnership Agreements. He also participated in Vanuatu’s delegations to major international meetings of the United Nations, the WTO as well as ACP-EU Council of Ministers.

Mr. Maniuri served as the National Authorising Officer (NAO) for the European Development Fund (EDF) for a number of years, and is currently on key national commissions such as the Board of Directors of the Vanuatu Reserve Bank and Air Vanuatu (of which he is Vice-Chair). He holds a Master’s degree in Commercial Law and Licence Droit Privé from the Université de Bordeaux in France. He is multi-lingual, speaking French, English, Bislama and Namakura.

Mr. Maniuri is scheduled to take office in May 2015.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL – MACROECONOMICS, DEVELOPMENT FINACE AND INTRA-ACP PROGRAMMING

MR. HENRIQUE BANZE

Mr. Henrique Alberto Banze has served as a Deputy Minister for more than 15 years in two of the key ministries in the Government of Mozambique, namely the Ministry of National Defense (2000-2004) as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (2005-2015).

As Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation he was responsible for ACP matters and Mozambique-EU cooperation, making significant contributions in implementing projects under the 8th European Development Fund (EDF) and playing a lead role in planning and programming the 9th, 10th, and 11th EDF. He was also designated as the National Authorising Officer (NAO) of the EDF, and engaged at various levels with UN Agencies in managing development cooperation with partners in North and South America.

Mr. Banze has contributed substantially to the national development strategies of Mozambique, serving on key ministerial commissions overlooking infrastructure and the implementation of strategic programmes with medium and long-term impacts on the country. He helped to draft three 5-year Government Programmes (2000-2014), the Mozambique poverty reduction strategy, and the Economic and Social Plans.

Mr. Banze is an accountant by profession but has also served in the military as an air force pilot for 17 years. He holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Development Studies from the Gothenburg University of Sweden. Along with three Mozambican languages, he is fluent in Portuguese, English, Russian, French, and has basic knowledge of Spanish.

Mr. Banze will take office in May 2015.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL – SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TRADE


MR. VIWANOU GNASSOUNOU

Mr. Gilles Patrick A. Viwanou Gnassounou, from Togo, is an economist, financial expert and project manager with 17 years of experience in agricultural and natural resource policy formulation, aid programming, sectoral commodity export strategies, and trade. Before joining the ACP Management Team, he was co-manager of a Consulting firm, which provides support in the areas of development policies. He also set up and managed an agricultural products industrial processing company based in Togo.

Mr. Gnassounou brings to the position a wealth of institutional memory, having served as an Expert in commodity trade policy at the ACP Secretariat for 10 years (2003-2013). During this period he was able to formulate and implement agricultural commodity and mineral sectors policies in ACP countries. He also provided key support in various trade negotiations involving the ACP Group. Prior to that, Mr Gnassounou participated in setting up PlaNet Finance in Paris, France, where he served in various positions from 1998 to 2002, including the latest of Director of Knowledge Management and Business Development Services.

Mr. Gnassounou holds a Master’s degree in Economic Analysis and Policy, a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Development Economics (MPhil equivalent), and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées (DESS) in Economic Development and Development Project Management (MSc equivalent) from the Centre for Research and Studies in International Development at the Université d’Auvergne, France. He is fluent in English, French and Mina (Togo), with basic knowledge of German.

Mr. Gnassounou took office on 1 April 2015.

CHEF DE CABINET – MR. MAMOUR ALIEU JAGNE

Mr. Mamour Alieu Jagne brings to the position of Chef de Cabinet more than two decades of professional experience in the areas of development and international diplomacy. He served as Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia to the European Union, based in Brussels, for close to six years (2008-2014) before being appointed as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Diplomatic Service. Soon after, he was called to serve briefly as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2014.

Mr. Jagne’s career in international development includes various roles working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in his country, including as Team Leader for Poverty Reduction, Disaster, Energy, Environment, and the MDGs. He also worked as Deputy Director for the World Bank-funded Capacity-Building for Economic Management Project, inter alia. Prior to joining the ACP Management Team, Ambassador Jagne worked as a Consultant to various UN Agencies in The Gambia.

Mr. Jagne holds an MSc degree in Agricultural Economics, a Post-graduate diploma in Agricultural Development and a Bachelor’s degree in General Agriculture. He has also undergone numerous professional training courses and is fluent in English and Wollof (his native language), and possesses working knowledge of the French language.

Mr. Jagne began serving his term at the ACP Secretariat on 1 April 2015.

For further information, please contact ACP Press Officer Ms. Josephine Latu-Sanft at +32 2 7430617 or email latu@acp.int .