Ambassador Vijay S. Makhan on ACBF Senior Policymakers’ Knowledge-sharing Program

Ambassador Vijay Makhan explaining a viewpoint during a discussion session with Dr. Kobena Hanson, Knowledge Management Officer, ACBF, at his residence in Mauritius.

On 19-21 September 2007, Dr. Kobena Hanson, Knowledge Management Officer, ACBF visited Ambassador Vijay Makhan, who is a career diplomat from Mauritius. He was Secretary for Foreign Affairs of his country up to 1995 when he was elected Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). He was re-elected in July 1999 and, following the transformation of the OAU into the African Union (AU), served as Interim Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Economic Affairs before his departure in 2003. Since October 2005, Ambassador Makhan has been nominated Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the AU Commission to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to monitor the political transition process. At present, he is a member of the Team of Eminent Persons that will conduct the audit of the African Union. Ambassador Makhan’s experience from years spent with the OAU and later AU, and the countless interactions he had over the years with senior policymakers across Africa, will provide invaluable lessons for development policymakers, policy analysts, researchers, as well as other development stakeholders on the continent. The documentation of his lived-experiences will make it possible for ACBF to share his wealth of experience and knowledge to promote growth and regional integration on the continent.