WAMA BULLETIN DECEMBER 2008
WAMA GETS A NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL
Prof Mohamed Ben Omar Ndiaye assumed office as Director General of the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA) on the 1st of June 2008. A professor of Economics with a long period of experience in research and teaching at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) in Dakar Senegal. He is also the first Director General of WAMA who is coming from an academic background as a university professor.
Professor Ndiaye is coming to WAMA with a wide range of knowledge and experience in Economics, Corporate management, macroeconomics, finance and monetary economics especially monetary integration in West Africa. Unlike the many directors that WAMA has had, prof. Ndiaye is an academic as well as a core economics researcher and not an ECOWAS Central Bank official on secondment to WAMA.
Born in Dakar, Senegal on the 20th September 1969, Prof. Ndiaye holds a bachelor and masters degree in economics with an option in corporate management; an M. Phil. in macroeconomics specializing in Money, Finance and Banking; a Ph. D. in Economic Science and a Post Doctoral Diploma in Economics. Prof. Ndiaye has a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience in economics, Finance, Monetary integration and Banking which is the focus of WAMA.
Prior to his appointment at WAMA, Prof. Ndiaye was a certified professor in charge of conferences at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. He was also the National Director of Masters Programmes in that University and supervised inter university doctoral programmes. Prof. Ndiaye has been in the academic world both as lecturer supervisor and researcher since 1999. He is a member of various scientific committees including the scientific committees of UCAD, in Dakar, the West African Review of Economic Sciences and Management (ROASEG), AERC, ROCAPE, MIMAP, virtual UNCTAD, AFD and the Forecasting Economic Research of Senegal.
Prof. Ndiaye comes to WAMA with a lot of experience in consultancies, training, teaching and research both in the ECOWAS sub region and abroad. In an interview with the renowned Prof. he said that he believes in hard work, consultation, dialogue, discipline, transparency, commitment, sincerity of purpose and mutual respect for each other. He believes that if all stake holders work hard and with a common focus on monetary integration, WAMA would soon lead ECOWAS in the accomplishment of a single currency objective in ECOWAS.
He however sees WAMA’s problem as her inability to focus on her primary role as the pioneer institution in the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme. He believes that WAMA has still not been able to accomplish the expected transition from the West African Clearing House (WACH) and still lacks the clear, precise and convincing orientation required for her to lead the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme.
Prof. Ndiaye hopes to bridge this gap by recruiting more economists and filling the vacant administrative posts at WAMA. He also intends to provide a good working environment for staff to motivate them to work harder and hopes that all stake holders will work together him for the good of the institution and not for personal gains. An ardent researcher, he believes that it is only hard work that will give WAMA her lost glory and is determined to ensure that the situation of this institution improves very soon. Being an ardent researcher, Prof. Ndiaye believes in collaborative work. He intends to cooperate with sister institutions like the ECOWAS Commission, the UEMOA Commission and the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI). He believes that this could be done through the harmonization of macroeconomic indicators of member countries, the harmonization of domestic monetary policies, harmonization of national statistics, fiscal policies and the free movement of people, goods and services in ECOWAS. He recognises that this is not going to be easy but believes that with hard work, the unflinching support and determination of our political leaders, the commitment and cooperation from the citizenry, monetary union is achievable in ECOWAS and says that he is ready to lead WAMA in achieving this goal.