Ahmed Mohamed ag Hamani

Life and career

Hamani was born in Goundam. He became a technical advisor to the Minister of Planning in 1975 before entering the government on January 7, 1978, as Minister for the Supervision of Companies and State Enterprises. He then became Minister of Information and Telecommunications in the government named on June 28, 1979 and Minister of Planning in the government named on August 2, 1980; in the latter position, he became the second ranking person in the government after Moussa Traoré, who was President and Minister of Defense. He subsequently became Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture on December 31, 1984, and then Minister of Transport and Public Works on June 6, 1986. He left the government on January 20, 1987 and became High Commissioner of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River, in which post he remained until 1992. In 1993, he was named Ambassador to Morocco by President Alpha Oumar Konaré; after six years in that post, he became Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and the European Union.

He served there until he was named Prime Minister by Amadou Toumani Touré on June 9, 2002, after Touré took office following his victory in that year's presidential election, and his government was named on June 14. His initial appointment was regarded as being on a temporary basis extending through the period of the July 2002 parliamentary election. After the election, he was reappointed on October 12, 2002, with a new government being named on October 16. At Touré's request, he submitted his government's resignation on April 28, 2004, and Ousmane Issoufi Maïga was appointed as Prime Minister on April 29.