Ketumile Masire

Ketumile Masire Former President of Botswana (1980-1998)

"In 1966, Masire became a Member of Parliament and later Vice-President and Minister of Finance and Development Planning. In 1980, he succeeded the late Seretse Khama as the second President of the Republic of Botswana.

"During his tenure of office, he was Chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Co-Chairperson of the Global Coalition for Africa, a position he still holds today. He also became the first Vice-Chairman of the Organization of African Unity in 1991. Masire’s term as President ended in 1998.

"Masire retired from public office in 1998 but has continued to be active in the humanitarian sphere. He served as Chairman of Eminent Personalities (IPEP) of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Committee Investigating the Circumstances Surrounding the 1994 Rwanda Genocide from 1998 to 2000. He was a Member of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Nigeria Assembly and Presidential Elections in 1999, and from 2000 to 2003 he was Facilitator for the Inter-Congolese National Dialogue."


 * Vice chair, African Wildlife Foundation
 * Director, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
 * Member, Global Leadership Foundation

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