Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Diéye holds a Master’s degree in Development Sociology from the Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal, a postgraduate diploma (DESS) from the University Institute for Studies and Development in Geneva, Switzerland, and a PhD in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies at the University of Geneva.
He began his career at the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) in Geneva, where he contributed to strengthening the capacities of African delegations based in Geneva at the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2002, he joined the international organization Enda Tiers Monde, where he managed programs on trade and international trade negotiations in support of African states.
In 2012, he founded the African Center for Trade, Integration and Development. (CACID), a regional center of expertise and resources, which he directed until his appointment as Minister of Water and Sanitation in April 2024.
Dr. Diéye is widely recognized as one of Africa’s foremost experts on sustainable development, particularly in the areas of trade and development, international economic governance, North-South and South-South relations, African economic integration, and the monitoring and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As a renowned international consultant, he has provided technical and strategic support to numerous governments, as well as regional and international institutions, including ECOWAS, UEMOA, the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), the WTO, the African Union, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the World Bank, the United Nations, and the European Union, among others.
Over more than two decades, he has taken part in international assemblies and conferences, led or contributed to the development of many national and sectoral development strategies across several African countries. As a high-level expert and negotiator, he served as a member of the West African Regional Negotiating Committee for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (2008–2015), and as a contributor to the drafting of the ECOWAS Community Development Program (CDP).
In the field of education and training, Dr. Diéye served as Course Director at the United Nations Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) from 2010 to 2020. He has lectured in the Master’s program in Trade Policy and Negotiations at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), the Trade Capacity Building and Training Center in Africa (TRAPCA) in Arusha, Tanzania, the International University of Rabat (Morocco), the Francophonie Institute of the University of Lyon 3 (France), and at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He has also been a guest lecturer at the summer school of the University of Montreal (Canada).
With broad international experience, Dr. Diéye has lived and worked in nearly seventy countries, including around forty in Africa.
Long recognized as a respected figure in Senegalese civil society, Dr. Dièye entered the political arena in 2015, when he co-founded the political platform “Avenir, Senegaal Bi Ñu Begg” (“The Senegal We Want”) alongside like-minded professionals.
In 2022, he was elected Vice President of the Departmental Council of Ziguinchor.
A political ally of Ousmane Sonko’s party “PASTEF”, Dr. Dièye was among the 19 candidates selected to run in the March 24, 2024 presidential election. After leading his campaign, he called on voters to support Bassirou Diomaye Faye just 72 hours before election day, a decision that played a crucial role in Faye’s first-round victory.
Since April 2024, Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Diéye has served as Minister of Water and Sanitation of the Republic of Senegal.
