Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (born September 24, 1951) is a
Nigerien
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Niger, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The largest ...
politician, who served as the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
of
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesIbrahim Baré Maïnassara, who seized power in a January 1996 coup, Mayaki was named Deputy Minister for Cooperation, under the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
, on August 23, 1996. He was then named Minister of Foreign Affairs and Nigeriens Abroad in December 1996, in which position he served until being named Prime Minister in November 1997.
Fifth Republic
When President Maïnassara was overthrown and assassinated in April 1999, Mayaki was reappointed by Daouda Malam Wanké, the leader of the coup, to lead the country during the transition to new elections. He left office after the elections were held late in the year.
United States political scandal
According to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on prewar intelligence, Joe Wilson said that during Mayaki's time in office he was contacted by a businessman who asked him to meet with a delegation from
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...
's
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
government, to discuss "expanding commercial relations." Mayaki interpreted that to mean they wanted to discuss the sale of yellowcake
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
, a natural resource of Niger, though upon meeting with the delegation, the subject of uranium never came up.
None of the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
, DIA, or INR analysts said this gave weight to claims that Iraq was trying to get uranium from Africa, and the Vice President (who requested the information that prompted Wilson's trip to Niger) was not briefed on the issue. There is no evidence that this claim about the meeting of an Iraqi delegation with Mayaki was used to bolster the case for war, or that it was in any way related to U.S. President George W. Bush's claim in the 2003
State of the Union
The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condit ...
address that "''The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa''," which was based on what the British says in the Butler Report is completely separate evidence.
Later career
In August 2000, Mayaki created the Public Policy Analysis Circle (''Cercle d'analyse des politiques publiques''), a
thinktank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental or ...
focusing on health and education policy.
Since 2009, Mayaki has headed the
New Partnership for Africa's Development
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is an economic development program of the African Union. NEPAD was adopted at the 37th session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia. NEPAD aims ...
(NEPAD), an
African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
body located in
Midrand
Midrand is a former municipality in central Gauteng, South Africa. It is situated in-between Centurion and Sandton and now forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
History
Midrand was established as a municipality in 1 ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. In 2016, he was appointed by Erik Solheim, the Chairman of the
Development Assistance Committee
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is a forum to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries. It describes itself as being the ...
, to serve on the High Level Panel on the Future of the Development Assistance Committee under the leadership of
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...
. Later that year, he was appointed by
United Nations Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary- ...
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Ministe ...
to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.
In March 2020, Mayaki was appointed by the
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly.
Election
...
and the
President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
The president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council is the presiding officer of that body.
The position voted for by members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on a yearly basis.
Election
The Economic and ...
* Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, Member of the Steering Committee
Honours
In 2011, Mayaki was awarded medal of Officer in the National Order of Agricultural Merit, an order of merit established by the French government in 1883.
On November 7, 2019 Ibrahim Assane Mayaki was awarded the title of "Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...
" by Japanese Emperor
Naruhito
is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession ...
. This decoration, the highest distinction of the State of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, recognizes his contribution to the promotion of friendly relations between
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
,
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesAfrican Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
In addition to several academic articles, he published ''La Caravane Passe'' (Paris, Odilon Média, 1999, 210 p. ), a book relating his political experience.