The West African  Development Bank (BOAD) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Maryse LOKOSSOU as Chief of  Staff of the Presidency, effective November 16, 2020.

As Chief of Staff, Maryse will oversee the administrative and operational activities of President Serge EKUE's office, and coordinate the departments and units reporting directly  to the latter.

Before assuming her new responsibilities, Maryse held the position of Technical Advisor in charge of International Financing to the Minister of Economy and Finance of Benin since 2017. In this capacity, she was responsible for  the international financing strategy  and the management of the sovereign financial rating program  . Maryse has led, among other projects, the structuring of innovative international financing, the inaugural international bond issue of the Republic of Benin, the inaugural ratings as well as the associated reviews with financial rating agencies  . She has also served on behalf of Benin on the boards of directors of several national and international structures.

With a rich professional background of  more than 15 years of experience in the fields of Banking and   Finance, Maryse began her career as a portfolio manager  within the Fortis banking group BNP Paribas , then held the position of business analyst in the international groups of Information Systems Atos Origin and Sopra Consulting. She then joined Societe Generale from 2011 to 2017 as Team Leader in charge of the group's regulatory reporting production  . 

Maryse completes the Executive MBA diploma of HEC Paris. She holds a Master II in International Finance from the Faculty of International Affairs of the University of Le Havre and holds a Master's degree in Banking Finance Insurance from the University of Nantes.   

In reaction to her appointment, Mrs. LOKOSSOU: "I fully appreciate the weight of the missions that await me alongside President EKUE and I am delighted  to join our prestigious Community Institution for the Financing of the Development of the WAEMU countries at a time when it is preparing to implement work, the projects carried out by the new strategic plan 2021-2025 called the Djoliba plan. As soon as I take  office, I will also work alongside the teams to assist President EKUE in his initiatives and reflections launched at regional and international level to strengthen the Bank's own funds."

President Serge EKUE on the choice made on Mrs. LOKOSSOU: "Beyond the price I attach to the issue of gender and generational renewal  , the choice of Mrs. LOKOSSOU is in line with the imperatives of aligning with the best international standards in terms of organization. Maryse has a perfect knowledge of the issues related to the expectations of Member States, but also of rating agencies and international investors in this area. It will be able to ensure at our side that this is properly taken into account  by the entire  Institution. I welcome him to BOAD ".

About the West African  Development Bank

The West African  Development Bank (BOAD) is the joint development finance institution of the States of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU). Public establishment of an international character, BOAD's object, under Article 2 of its statutes, is "  to promote the balanced development of  member states and to achieve the economic integration of West Africa" by financing projects    development priorities. It is accredited by the three climate finance financing  mechanisms  (GEF, AF, GCF). Since 2009, BOAD sits as an observer at the UNFCCC and actively participates in discussions on the construction of  an international climate finance architecture. Since January 2013, it has hosted the first Regional  Collaborating Centre (RCC) on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which aims to provide direct support to governments, NGOs and the private sector for the identification and development of CDM projects. It is committed to carbon neutrality by 2023 and is an active member of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) which brings together 24 national, regional and bilateral  development banks.