Salimata Thiam

Principal Programme Officer Gender

Salimata Thiam is a dedicated expert in gender equality and social development in West Africa. With extensive experience in implementing projects aimed at women’s empowerment, she has distinguished herself through her commitment to building more inclusive and equitable societies.

Salimata Thiam is recognized for her proactive approach to integrating gender issues into public policies and regional initiatives.
Through her work, she has contributed to promoting women’s access to economic, educational, and social opportunities. As a committed professional, she has also collaborated with various institutions and partners to strengthen community capacities and foster inclusion.

MADAME Aïssatou BA

Program Officer Women Economic Empowerment

A socio-anthropologist by training, Mrs. Bâ holds a master’s degree in sociology from UGB and a DEA in Development Anthropology from UCAD. As an expert in Gender and Development, she has received training in gender-sensitive planning, management, and participatory evaluation of sustainable development actions. She also holds certificates in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and social safeguards.

In terms of experience, she worked as a Research Engineer in a consulting firm, gaining solid experience in rural development.

2003-2010: Mrs. Bâ worked on two projects focusing on hydro-agricultural infrastructure development and advisory support for producers in four regions of Senegal (PAPIL/ADB). With PAFA (funded by IFAD), she coordinated gender-related activities and agricultural value chains by establishing sectoral dialogue platforms in the peanut-growing basin.

2012-2016: She served as a Gender and Social Expert at the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA-S) in Senegal, responsible for supervising gender integration and social aspects within various components of the irrigation program in the northern region. She guided and supported farmers—both men and women—operating in the Delta and Senegal River Valley, participating in the implementation of the Resettlement Action Plan and support fund for project-affected, vulnerable populations. As a sociologist, she also played a social mediation role between local governments, communities, and enterprises.

She later worked as a Social Safeguards and Community Development Expert under the PDIDAS Project, financed by the World Bank.

Since May 2016, she has been Program Officer for Economic Empowerment at the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC).

Overall, Mrs. Bâ is a socio-anthropologist, Gender Expert, and specialist in social issues, community development, land tenure, and sustainable development, with additional training in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

Dr. Odile Ndoumbé Faye

Program Officer Gender and Civil Society

Dr. Faye holds a PhD in Sociology from Gaston Berger University (GBU) (Senegal), a Postgraduate Degree in Information and Communication Sciences from Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources Management in International Organizations from CESAG (Dakar – Sénégal).

She successively held the positions of Head of documentation Department at the Training and Research Unit of Legal and Political Sciences at UGB, Head of the Communication Division of UGB and Director of the Antenna of UGB in Dakar. After 17 years at the UGB, she headed from October 2007 to March 2016, the Executive Secretariat of a continental NGO named AAWORD (Association of African Women for Research and Development) bringing together 22 African countries in Africa and the Diaspora.

Dr. Faye joined the ECOWAS Commission in April 2016 precisely at the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC) as Programme Officer Gender and CivilSociety. She works particularly on the designing and implementation of gender programmes and for the mainstreaming and operationalization of ECOWAS Gender policies in the ECOWAS 15 Member States.

She also works closely with civil society actors to give them the necessary support for the development and implementation of innovative gender projects in the region. Dr. Faye has worked on Development issues in the world. She has been a member of many international and continental networks such as LDC Watch, the African Women Caucus on Gender Equality, the African Women Lobby on Gender Equality, African Women CSW Group, the CSO group working with the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Dr Faye is also very commited to women movements in Senegal and development at the grassroot level. She has occupied the positions of Chairperson of the Scientific Committee of Conseil Sénégalais des Femmes (COSEF) (Council of Senegalese Women) and led the scientific work for the adoption of the parity law in Senegal. She has also been a member of the Senegalese National Observatory on Parity and led the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Parity organized by the Senegalese Government in 2011.

Furthermore, she coordinated the Forum of African Francophone Women during the 15th Summit of Francophonie held in 2014 in Dakar, Senegal. Through these works, Dr. Faye has contributed to the improvement of the conditions of women, girls, boys and children in the Africa Region and to the visibility of the African Gender Equality Agenda in the World.