INTERVIEW with Ngueto Tiraina Yambaye: "CERDI is a lasting brand"

Interview with Ngueto Tiraina Yambaye "CERDI is a lasting brand" 

What is your current position? 

As a Doctor in Economies, I am currently Director General of the African Guarantee and Economie Cooperation Fund (Fonds africain de garantie et de coopération économique - FAGACE). This is an international financial institution created in 1977. The headquarters are in Cotonou, Benin. Before that, I was successively Economist and Administrator of the IMF for Africa before joining the Government of my country, Chad, as Minister of the Economy, Planning and Development. I am currendy also a Senior Fellow at FERDI and Scientific Coordinator of the University Pole of Excellence in Africa Project (CERDI-FERDI-UCA and African Institutions), this is a role that is close to my heart. 

Are you part of the CERDI Alumni association? 

Absolutely! I am a member of the association because the Alumni community is a big family. When I took up my position at the IMF, I discovered that CERDI alumni at the IMF and the World Bank met twice a year. These are very pleasant meetings. 

How did you discover CERDI? 

Through the network of CERDI alumni at the IMF and the World Bank, I contacted CERDI for my PhD. I had done my Masters degree at the University of Geneva (Faculty of Economies and Social Sciences and HEC-Geneva). I was living and working in Washington, but I preferred CERDI to an American university. 

What prompted you to come and study at CERDI? 

lt was the international and global influence of CERDI that guided my choice. CERDI is a credible world-class brand and label of excellence. CERDI graduates command admiration and respect from others and employers. 

What place does CERDI occupy in international research and global institutions, and what is its role in development aid? 

CERDI's contributions to the promotion of knowledge and the knowledge economy are palpable in view of the positioning of its graduates and researchers working in international organizations around the world. Cerdians are the most numerous nationals of French-speaking universities at the IMF and the World Bank, and are recognized as highly competent. Several of them hold senior positions with great responsibilities. CERDI is often called upon by international organizations for studies/research on specific economic and financial development issues. 

I have many memories of Clermont Ferrand. lt is France in miniature: a student city in which all the nationalities and races of the world rub shoulders. In Washington, when I was asked the question why I went to Clermont Ferrand, I answered that I was going home, to CERDI! CERDI is a big family, we were called the Guillaumont generation. Cerdians of Africa, Asia, and America. We are always in contact through CERDI Alumni or in a professional network. At the international level, a CV containing a CERDI reference is a considerable asset in the competition because of its seriousness compared to others. lndeed, recruiters have a lot of respect for this UCA school. Sorne students drop out of an American university to transfer to CERDI, I currently know one in the 2nd year of their doctoral studies. CERDI's are highly rated courses. CERDI is an authority in economics research. The Anglo-Saxon dimension of CERDI should not be overlooked. Today, much of its research is published in English. lts researchers work in both languages. 

What would you like to add in conclusion? 

CERDI will soon celebrate its 45th anniversary. This faculty is very mature. We can have the ambition for CERDI of making it shine worldwide. The French government must support it and use it as a banner of research at the global level. lts global rank is the pride of all its graduates. CERDI is a lasting brand. lt brings people together at the functional level, but also in the friendships it promotes. And in institutions like the IMF or the World Bank, many couples have both gone through CERDI. My wife did her Masters degree in the United States. She works at the World Bank and will certainly do a PhD at CERDI.