User:Nikwigize Andre/sandbox

'''BIOGRAPHY Nikwigize Andre, born 25 March 1957 is a Burundian and an economist, who has occupied several posts at national, regional and international levels. Currently Founder and President of a nonprofit organization, « Partners for Peace and Prosperity (3Ps), since January 2016. Previously he was Senior Programme Officer at the United Nations Secretariat General, New York, USA, from February 2010 to December 2015, Senior Economic Affairs Officer at United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Office, Kigali, Rwanda, from April 2000 to February 2010, Senior Economic Adviser at United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA), Dakar, Senegal, from October 2005 to October 2007 (on secondment), Executive Director at Organization for the Management and Development of the Kagera River Basin (KBO), Kigali, Rwanda, from June 1991 to April 2000, Director General of Planning, Office of the Prime Ministry, Bujumbura, Burundi, from December 1988 to June 1991 and Director of Planning, Ministry of Planning, Bujumbura, Burundi from January 1982 to December 1988. Biography Nikwigize was born in the city capital of Bujumbura, Burundi. He attended the University of Burundi, where he obtained the BA in Political Economy, at the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences. He, later, attended several courses and obtained certificates, in particular, at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington DC, the World Bank, Washington DC, the George Washington University/INTRADOS, Washington DC, and many others. In January 1982, he was recruited in the Ministry of Planning, as Chief of Macro-Economic Division, then Director of Planning, from 1984 and Director General of Planning, Office of the Prime Ministry, from 1988 to June 1991. During his term at planning offices, Nikwigize served as the President of the Technical Committee of Structural Adjustment Programmes, President of Board of Governors of several public enterprises, he participated in several negotiation missions with development partners, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, bilateral partners. In October 1986, he was appointed Deputy Governor of Burundi at the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund, in Washington DC. He participated in a number of international conferences and made presentations on various topics. At the Secretariat of the Organization for the Management and Development of the Kagera River Basin (1991-2000), Nikwigize coordinated integration projects between the four member countries (Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) and prepared a donors Roundtable that was scheduled to take place in 1994, but due to the war and genocide in Rwanda, the roundtable could not take place and later in 2000, the Organization was closed. One of important projects coordinated was related to the construction of hydroelectric plant at the Rusumo Falls, to produce 60 MW of electricity. At the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (13 countries), from 2000 to 2010, as Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Nikwigize was in charge of coordinating and harmonization of regional integration processes within the sub-region and conduct related studies. He was also entrusted to coordinate the activities of the Office, in the absence of the incumbent Director. In October 2005, he was seconded to the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA), in Dakar, Senegal, to launch an economic unit, in the context of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC), set up by the United Nations to implement the International Court of Justice`s ruling, in 2002, in the boundary and maritime disputes and the Bakassi Peninsula, between Cameroon and Nigeria. The economic unit was meant at preparing confidence-building measures and projects for the affected populations in the two countries. The unit prepared an important economic and social programme for the populations in Cameroon and Nigeria, in areas of infrastructures, education, health, water and sanitation, as well as participate in negotiation processes between the two countries. In October 2007, the secondment was concluded and the staff member joined his parent organization, UNECA, in Rwanda. At the United Nations Secretary General, in New York (2010-2015), as Senior Programme officer at the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Nikwigize was assigned responsibilities of coordinating activities, as focal point, of the unit of Landlocked Developing Countries. At that capacity, he coordinated the preparation of reports for the UN Secretary General and related meetings and conferences. In that context, he actively participated and coordinated in the Fourth Conference on Least Developed Countries (Istanbul, 2011) and the Second International Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (Vienna, 2014), including all preparatory meetings and papers. Since 2016, as Founder and President of « Partners for Peace and Prosperity (3Ps) », a nonprofit organization established and registered in March 2015, in the State of New York, Nikwigize has dedicated his time, travelling and participating in international conferences, in Africa, Europe, USA, including, the Spring and Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, in the context of Civil Society Policy Forum sessions, African Union, ACP, European Commission, and within other international civil society organizations. Nikwigize has written several papers on economic and political aspects, particularly on Africa.