Dr. Josué Dioné Joins IFDC Board of Directors

March 2, 2011 – MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – Dr. Josué Dioné, director of Food Security and Sustainable Development for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), has accepted a three-year appointment to IFDC’s board of directors. Dioné has more than 30 years of experience working with development policies, strategies and programs that focus on agriculture, food security and sustainable development in Africa.

Dioné has worked with UNECA, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, since 2001. UNECA promotes the economic and social development of its member states, fosters intraregional integration and promotes international cooperation for Africa’s development. In this position, Dioné has provided strong leadership on sustainable development issues in Africa including agricultural development, land policy, management of integrated water resources and climate change.

Dioné has enhanced cooperation among UN agencies working on major sustainable development issues in Africa by providing catalytic support for the establishment of inter-agency groups on water (UN Water/Africa), energy (UN Energy/Africa) and biotechnology (UN Biotech/Africa). He has spearheaded initiatives to build effective partnerships with the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank on major continental programs regarding land policy and climate and development.

Prior to coming to UNECA, Dioné formulated strategies and policy guidelines as principal policy economist for the African Development Bank. He also coordinated and managed policy research, networking, dialogue and advisory services on agricultural development, food security and poverty reduction in West Africa as regional program coordinator for the Institut du Sahel in Bamako, Mali.

A citizen of Mali, Dioné holds doctorate and master’s degrees in agricultural economics from Michigan State University (United States) and Université Laval (Canada), respectively.

Dioné will serve on the IFDC board’s Africa Committee. He replaces former IFDC board member Soumaïla Cissé, chairman of the commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. Cissé served on the IFDC board of directors for three years.

IFDC is a public international organization, governed by an international board of directors (see accompanying list) with representation from developed and developing countries. The nonprofit Center is supported by various bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, private foundations and national governments.

IFDC focuses on increasing and sustaining food security and agricultural productivity in developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise.

IFDC Board of Directors
M. Peter McPherson (USA), Board Chair
Gerard J. Doornbos (Netherlands), Vice Chair
Margaret Catley-Carlson (Canada)
Josué Dioné (Mali)
John B. Hardman (USA)
Osamu Ito (Japan)
Agnes M. Kalibata (Rwanda)
Patrick J. Murphy (USA)
Mortimer Hugh Neufville (USA)
Rhoda Peace Tumusiime (Uganda)
Vo-Tong Xuan (Vietnam)