He has previouslyworked for the United Nations in Ethiopia and Switzerland, and in academic institutions in France. Dr Gnegne was born in Burkina Faso, where he completed high school and the second year of undergraduate studies in Economics. He was then selected to study at Centre d’Etudeset de Recherchessur le Développement International (CERDI)/CNRS and University of Auvergnein Clermont-Ferrand, France, under a scholarship from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.