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Youssouf Ouedraogo is a burkinabe economist, diplomat and politician. Ouedraogo was born in Tikaré, in Bam Province in December 25, 1952. In 1992 he became the first Prime Minister of Burkina Faso since 1983, serving from June 16, 1992 to March 22, 1994. From January 1999 to June 2007 he was the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He is a member of the ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP). Youssouf Ouedraogo is currently Special Adviser to the President of the African Development Bank.

Political career
He obtained a degree in marketing at the Universities of Dijon, Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon III (France). He taught at the University of Ouagadougou from 1982.

Under Thomas Sankara (President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987), Ouedraogo was appointed to the government as Minister of Planning and Popular Development on August 31, 1984, remaining in that position for three years. Shortly after Sankara was assassinated in October 1987, Ouedraogo became Minister for the Plan and Cooperation under Blaise Compaoré. He left that position on April 25, 1989 and became President of the Economic and Social Council, in which position he served until he was elected to the National Assembly as a deputy from Bam in the May 1992 parliamentary election. He was appointed as Prime Minister by Compaoré on June 16, 1992.

He promoted reforms favorable to the private sector. He entered into negociations with the IMF and the World Bank to reach agreements on structural adjustment. The CFA franc was devaluated in January 1994, and this was followed by controversy. Ouedraogo signed an agreement with trade unions to raise salaries on March 12, 1994, but the agreement fell through and Ouedraogo resigned a few days later.

Diplomaty
He also had a diplomatic career. He served as Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and the European Union before being appointed as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in January 1999.

Chairman of the African Group of Ambassadors Committee - Caribbean - Pacific (ACP), he is one of the main negotiators in front of the European Commission at the renewal of the Fourth Geneva Convention governing the ACP-EU Partnership for the period 1995-1999.

Recalled in Burkina Faso in January 1999, he was appointed as foreign minister, a post he held until 2007.

He represented Africa at the launch in March 1999 of the US - Africa Partnership for 21st century, with President Bill Clinton. At this time the Burkina Faso held the presidency of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). He strongly supported the preferential agreement proposed by the United States to promote trade relations with Africa (AGOA) and the creation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. He also organized Burkina second ministerial meeting implementation of the Africa - European Union (2002), and the tenth Francophonie Summit (2004).

Ouédraogo was elected to the National Assembly again in the 2007 parliamentary election as a candidate of the CDP from Bam Province. In the government of Prime Minister Tertius Zongo, which was appointed on June 10, 2007, he was replaced as Foreign Minister by Djibrill Bassolé.

International Organisations
In September 2007, he became Special Adviser to the President of the African Development Bank. He was in charge of political and diplomatic issues. He was appointed to this position to deepen and/or expand the partnership between the Bank and its Member States, Regional Economic Communities and international institutions. He also defends a stronger partnership between the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa.