Cheikh Tidiane Gadio
He also serves as President of the Institute for Pan-African Strategies, Peace-Security-Governance (IPS), a Dakar-based think-thank engaged in research, convenings, strategic communications, and advocacy on issues of African peace, security, development, governance and unity.
By way of his maternal lineage, he is a grandson of the renown Fulani Scholar Dewo Elimane Moctar LY, founder of the historic city of Saldé Tebegoutt.
After completing his studies in France, Gadio obtained a diploma of practical training in communication technologies and program development for audio-visual education in Montreal 1986).
During the same period, he was also a registered consultant for the United Nations (UNOPS) and the European Commission's Technical Assistance to the third World Countries Programme.
During his tenure as Foreign Minister of Republic of Senegal, Dr. Gadio led several successful mediation missions in Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Sudan, Libya, and Mauritania, to end conflicts and establish peace (e.g., the Dakar Agreement of May 2003 between Madagascar political leaders; the Dakar Peace Agreement of March 2008 between Chad and Sudan; the African Union International Mediation in Mauritania of June 2009; and the resumption of diplomatic ties between Senegal and China, signed 25 October 2005 in Beijing).
No reason was given, although in the Senegalese press it was reported that Gadio had a poor relationship with Karim Wade, the President's son, who also served in the government as Minister of State for International Cooperation, Infrastructure, Air Transport, and Public Works.
In protest, Gadio did not attend the weekly ministerial meetings at the presidential palace for six months prior to his departure from Wade's government.
After leaving Wade's government, in November 2009 Gadio co-founded a consulting and advisory firm (Sarata Holding LLC) for "Business and Development Partnerships with Africa," with three locations: Dakar, Washington, DC, Casablanca.
[8] Gadio was appointed Special Envoy for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the Central African Republique in February 2014 and served as such for three years.
He was given an additional appointment in 2016 with OIC as the Secretary General Special Representative for Africa in charge of the Mali and Sahel crisis, Boko Haram and The Lake Chad Basin countries.
He is currently the Special Envoy of OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) to Mali, a role in which he has served since September 2020.
His wife is the current United Nations Resident Coordinator for Zambia, responsible for all UN organizations dealing with operational activities for development in the country.
