Ablassé Ouédrago (born 30 June 1953 in Dabaré) is a Burkinabé economist, diplomat and politician.
From March 1994 to February 1999, Ouédraogo served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for Burkina Faso. From February to November 1999, he served as Special Advisor to the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré. In those positions, he helped influence the country's foreign policy. He is the founder and current president of the Alternative Faso party. In December 2012, Ouédrago was elected to the Burkina Faso National Party.
Early years and education
Ouédraogo was born on 30 June 1953 in Dabaré, Pabré Department, in the province of Kadiogo in Burkina Faso. Drawing on an impressive career in development, diplomacy and politics, he is the current President of the Alternative Faso (Faso Reimagined) Party, and was a candidate in the 2015 Burkinabé general election that took place on 29 November 2015, which he only got 1.93% of all the votes, losing to Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. Ouédrago is the founder of the liberal centrist Alternative Faso Party, which obtained its receipt of legal existence on 12 September 2011. Its motto is: “Nothing stops an idea whose time has come.”
The son of a farmer, Ouédrago is a member of the Mossi ethnic group and is Muslim. He attended the Cercle de Boussé public primary school before completing his secondary education at the Lycée Philippe Zinda Kaboré in Ouagadougou. Holder of a Baccalaureate in economics, Ouédrago received a scholarship from the Association of African Universities to study economics at the National University of Gabon, in Libreville, from 1973 to 1975. Upon obtaining his degree, he enrolled in the University of Nice in France to pursue further study in economics from 1975 to 1981. He would go on to defend his doctorate in economic sciences with a specialization in development economics, for which he earned high honors and special jury commendation on 15 December 1981. His dissertation examined “Multinational firms and the industrialization of developing countries.” Returning home in January 1982, Ouédrago taught economics at the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques (ESSEC, known today as UFR-SEG) of University of Ouagadougou from January to July 1982, before embarking on a career in the international arena.
Political career
Participation in government
Ouédrago served first as Minister of Foreign Affairs for Burkina Faso from March 1994 to February 1999, then as Special Advisor to the President of Burkina Faso from February to November 1999. From these positions, he orchestrated the strategic reorientation of the country's foreign policy through the development and implementation of the concept of “development diplomacy.” This approach, on the one hand, enabled the channeling of greater resources toward development and stimulation of the local economy, and, on the other, helped raise the country's profile as a safe haven, solidifying Burkina Faso's place in the community of nations at global, continental and sub-regional levels. This allowed Burkina Faso to gain, among other notable achievements, the Presidency of the Organization of African Unity for the first time in 1998 – 1999. The country also has hosted numerous Marquee International Events, such as the [Summit of Heads of State and Government of Africa and France in December 1996, the Africa Cup of Nations in February 1998, and the AU Summit of Heads of State and Government in July 1998, as well as other large ministerial conferences of various sectors.
Ouédrago also has been a major player in peace and development efforts throughout Africa, notably contributing to the resolution of the Tuareg rebellion in Niger and Mali, and helping to bring an end to conflicts in Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Burundi, as well as between Ethiopia and Eritrea during a particularly turbulent period.
Entry into the Burkinabé political opposition
Taking note of the excesses of the regime of President Blaise Compaoré, and wishing to make a positive contribution, Ouédrago decided to make his official entry into politics by joining the ranks of the opposition. He founded his own party, Alternative Faso, with a liberal centrist ideology in June 2011. In doing so, Ouédrago envisaged the political, economic, and social transformation of a Burkina Faso united and reimagined, one that would strive for socio-economic progress for all in a stable and secure environment. At the core of this strategy was the development of human capital for inclusive growth and sustainable development for all Burkinabé, with a more just and equitable distribution of the fruits of growth and development.