Draft:Daouda Sembene

Daouda Sembene is a Senegalese economist specialised in development economics. Sembene is associated with the Center for Global Development in Washington as a Distinguished Nonresident Fellow. Daouda Sembene is the founder and CEO of AfriCatalyst, a global development advisory based in Dakar, Senegal.

Education
Sembene gained a Masters from George Washington University, the University of Montreal, and the University of Dakar, and a Ph.D. in development economics from American University in Washington.

Career
Before his current position, Sembene was the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), representing 23 African countries on the Executive Board.

Sembene was a senior economic advisor to the President of Senegal. He fulfilled the position of Senior Economic Advisor to President Macky Sall from June 2019 to November 2020 and was also the head of the Financial Sector and Competitiveness General Directorate.

In July 2023, Sembene was appointed by the executive board of the International Monetary Fund to participate in the panel tasked with conducting the fourth external evaluation of the IMF Independent Evaluation Office.

International engagements
Sembene was appointed by the Chairperson of the African Union as the Advisor on food security for the year 2022. He has also provided guidance on IMF-related issues in the US Congress and legislative bodies in various African countries. Sembene has contributed to several publications, among them the book "Macroeconomic Policy in Fragile Countries ," published by Oxford University Press. During 2020-2021, made contributions to this book alongside other writers, addressing issues related to state fragility. He has spoken of the role of trust as part of the exit phase from fragility. Sembene has written a piece speaking on several ways in which international financial institutions and multilateral development banks can support the pandemic recovery plan in Africa. The outlined strategies include ensuring accurate financing figures, aligning actions with stated commitments, and fostering innovative thinking and actions. In October 2021, Sembene collaborated with Hannah Brown on co-authoring a publication addressing financing opportunities and challenges for the informal sector in Africa.

In May 2022, Sembene collaborated with Jack Rossitter on co-authoring a piece focused on the question of how the world can fund universal schooling. Within this same year, Sembene collaborated with Amadou Hott on co-authoring a Devex opinion piece regarding the Ukraine war and Special Drawing Rights (SDR) reallocation, alongside Senegal's Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation. In August 2022, Sembene collaborated with Daniel Citrin on co-authoring a piece titled "The IMF, Africa, and Climate Change—Making Sense of an Implausible Trilogy. He also collaborated with Ian Mitchell and Hannah Brown on co-authoring a piece addressing the factors hindering private climate finance in Africa and proposing strategies to unleash its potential. In November 2022, Sembene also co-authored with David McNair discussing an innovative approach to overcoming debt challenges. Later that same year, he co-authored with David McNair, focusing on the subject of why the International Monetary Fund should enhance its support for climate-vulnerable countries.

In July 2023, Sembene was appointed by the executive board of the International Monetary Fund to participate in a panel tasked with conducting the fourth external evaluation of the IMF Independent Evaluation Office. Later in August 2023, former Prime Minister and NEPAD CEO Ibrahim Hassane Mayaki and Sembene co-authored a piece, presenting arguments on the preparation of the African Union for G20 Membership Sembene expresses views on Africa's role in the global economy and engages in discussions with various experts in the field on this matter.