[1] On 14 February 2002 he became Ambassador to the United States,[1][2][5] serving in that post until he was named prime minister in June 2007.

He has also been a professor of accounting, business economy and financial analysis at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

Zongo holds a master's degree in economic sciences from the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises in France.

Following the May 2007 parliamentary election, Zongo was appointed prime minister by President Blaise Compaore on 4 June 2007.

[11] Zongo was subsequently appointed to the Board of Directors of SEMAFO, a Canadian mining company with operations in Burkina Faso and other West African countries, in May 2012.