Dr. Hamady Diop

Head of Division Technical Cooperation and Advisory Services, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)

Dr Hamady Diop is currently working as Head of Technical Cooperation and Advisory Services of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). In this current position, he provides strategic technical direction on programmes and sector projects on institutional capacity strengthening for African Union Member States (MS) and regional economic communities (RECs), support the development of engagement frameworks with MS and RECs and support to the development of African common positions in furtherance of enhancing the African Voice and Global representation.

He served previously as the Head of the “Natural Resource Governance, Food
Security and Nutrition Programme” of AUDA-NEPAD, South Africa. In that position he facilitated the development of various cluster workstream strategies and business plans and guiding for the achievement of the objectives. This also included contributions to both natural resource governance programme and NEPAD-wide identification of strategic priorities. Those workstreams have included so-far i) Nutrition and food systems with a final AUDA strategy as a product; ii) Blue Economy programme as a strategy developed; iii) Agriculture planning systems and value chains development through the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme process; iv) Climate Environment, Sustainable land and Water Management v) Contribution to NEPAD strategy through various institutional retreats; vi) rural transformation with emphasis on youth and women capacity building and entrepreneurship development vi) Coordinate and implement various continental frameworks through the Natural Resource Governance Programme portfolio by providing country support in order to strengthen their ability to lead strategic planning processes, address risk mitigation, develop climate smart initiatives, perform complex contract negotiation and improve agriculture and agribusiness development. The
position also included the support to the development and implementation of many projects in agriculture, land, fisheries and aquaculture, environmental governance with support from the European Union (EU), the Africa Green Revolution Agriculture (AGRA), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Worldfish, African member states to align their national priorities to Strengthen agriculture development in Africa by aligning department work with the continental implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) framework;

Dr. Diop has also served as the Director of Research and Information Systems for the West Africa Sub-regional Fisheries Commission, a position that coordinates fisheries management issues, policy development, capacity building, development of common voices at international fora for a seven country-area of West Africa. Dr, Diop was a faculty at Louisiana States University, Southern University, both universities in Louisiana, USA. Dr. Diop holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University. He also earned Masters’ of Science in Economics and Agricultural Economics both from Louisiana State University. Dr Diop has been a recipient of many grants and his research has been published widely in many scientific journals. He has also been a guest speaker at many international conferences. Dr Diop was also a recipient of a one-year training, coaching and mentorship in leadership through the Duke University Centre for Effective Leadership Training (CETL).