André Nzapayeké
André Nzapayeké | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1951 Bangassou, French Equatorial Africa |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, banking professional |
| Years active | Early 1990s–present |
| Known for | Acting Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (2014) |
André Nzapayeké (born 20 August 1951) is a politician and banking professional from the Central African Republic who held the position of Acting Prime Minister of the Central African Republic between 25 January and 10 August 2014.
Early career
Nzapayeké’s birthplace is Bangassou, located in what was then French Equatorial Africa. He is the son of a pastor and a merchant. Awarded a scholarship, he pursued studies in social anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. His early professional experience involved work in the development sector across Central Africa, including conducting research in rural communities, providing consultancy services, and lecturing at university level. During the early 1990s, he was a member of the Government Security Council and briefly held the role of Minister of Rural Development under President André Kolingba.
As a skilled technocrat, Nzapayeké progressed to become secretary-general of the African Development Bank and later served as vice president of the Development Bank of Central African States from 2010 until 2012. In his capacity at the Development Bank, he played a role in facilitating peace agreement implementations related to Sudan’s conflict. Additionally, he occupied a position within the World Bank. His religious affiliation is Christian.
Political career
In January 2014, during the ongoing 2012–14 conflict in the Central African Republic, Nzapayeké was appointed Prime Minister following his nomination by President Catherine Samba-Panza, succeeding Nicolas Tiangaye. His mandate focused on steering the nation toward elections scheduled for 2015, with primary objectives that included halting mass violence and re-establishing governmental control to support more than one million internally displaced individuals.
I intend to collaborate with diverse factions to immediately cease all atrocities. The administration will initiate concrete measures this week, such as establishing a national reconciliation commission to address security issues and seeking assistance from international allies.
Nzapayeké stepped down on 5 August 2014 after peace negotiations in Brazzaville collapsed; Mahamat Kamoun succeeded him.
From June 2015 onwards, he has represented the Central African Republic as ambassador to Southern Africa, with subsequent diplomatic responsibilities extending to New Zealand (appointed October 2016) and the Seychelles (appointed May 2017).