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Former President of the Republic of Senegal
General Secretary of the International Organisation of French Speaking Communities

Abdou Diouf was born on the 7th of September 1935 in Louga.  He went to primary and secondary school at the Lycée Faidherbe in Saint-Louis, and studied law at Dakar University and then at the Sorbonne, Paris. He graduated from the National School of Overseas France in 1960.

He began his career as a civil servant, being Director of International Technical Cooperation, General Secretary of the Defence Department, and Governor of Sine Saloum.

Working very closely to the President Leopold Sédar Senghor, he was appointed in 1964 as the General Secretary to the Presidency of the Republic. He worked as Minister of Planning and Industry from 1968 to 1970, and became Prime Minister in 1970.

He was elected as President of Senegal in 1981, after the resignation of Senghor. He stayed in office till 2000.

He has been calling for many years for a strongest African unity. He was chairman of the Organisation of African Unity in 1985-1986 and in 1992, and chairman of the Economic Community of West African States in 1991-1992.

He was elected as General Secretary of the International Organisation of French Speaking Communities at the organization's Ninth Summit on October 20, 2002 in Beirut. He succeeded to Boutros Boutros- Ghali and has since been reelected in Bucarest in 2006.