大象传媒

鈥淒evelopment is all about leadership. You can get all the resources in the world, you can get all the best human capital鈥� but if the leadership is not there you can鈥檛 make the best of the resources you have and eventually move your country forward.鈥�

Ibrahima Cheikh Diong is UN-Assistant Secretary General and Director General of the African Union specialized agency 鈥渢he African Risk Capacity Group鈥� or ARC, which works with governments to help them deal with climate related disasters.

But in a varied career, he鈥檚 also been a member of the Senegalese government and worked for the World Bank, as a senior banker and in management consultancy. And he even speaks Mandarin as well as French and English thanks to his student days in China.

But he says if he had to best describe himself he鈥檇 say he was 鈥榓n African who cares about Africa and wants to make a difference in Africa鈥�.

This is Alan鈥檚 second conversation with people included 鈥� like himself 鈥� in New African Magazine鈥檚 100 Influential Africans list for this year.