Abdou Diouf graduated from the National School for Overseas France in 1960 and was a senior official at regional level and subsequently at the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal. He was formerly Minister of Planning and Industry (1968-1970), Prime Minister (1970-1980), then President of the Republic of Senegal (1981-2000). He was subsequently elected Secretary General of La Francophonie during the Beirut Summit in October 2002 and held this position until 2015.
