Non-Executive DirectorBassirou Sarr
Mr. Bassirou Sarr is a Senegalese economist currently serving as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Senegal. He has extensive experience in economic policy, public financial management, domestic resource mobilization, financial sector regulation, and the structuring and negotiation of complex strategic projects.
His areas of expertise also include tax policy, public portfolio governance, the energy and extractive sectors, land and public asset governance, and international financial relations.
In his current role as Chief of Staff, Mr. Sarr plays a central role in the strategic coordination of the Ministry’s activities, including the monitoring of key economic and financial reforms and engagement with international partners. He also contributes to the oversight and coordination of land and public domain governance issues, supporting reforms aimed at enhancing transparency, legal security, and administrative efficiency in this critical sector for investment and economic development. Through his public engagements, he consistently emphasizes fiscal discipline, transparency, and the effective prioritization of public resources to support Senegal’s long-term development strategy.
Before his appointment, Mr. Sarr served from 2018 to 2024 as Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Budget. In that capacity, he led major reform initiatives related to revenue mobilization, economic policy, and public enterprise governance, as well as the integration of petroleum and gas revenues into the national budget framework. He notably coordinated multisectoral reform programs supported by the World Bank through budget support operations, aimed at strengthening economic growth, improving governance, and enhancing public sector performance across key sectors including energy, digital economy, health, and social protection.
Mr. Sarr also played a key role in establishing the financial, fiscal, and regulatory frameworks that enabled the development of Senegal’s hydrocarbon sector, ensuring the protection of the State’s strategic and financial interests. He further contributed to the development of the governance framework for managing hydrocarbon revenues and to the design of the State’s sustainable financing framework.
At the international level, he has contributed to the work of the Transitional Committee responsible for establishing the Loss and Damage Fund, as part of the negotiations leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), supporting discussions on global financial mechanisms for climate-vulnerable countries.
Mr. Sarr serves on the Boards of Directors of several strategic companies, including Senelec (Senegal’s national electricity company), PETROSEN (Société des Pétroles du Sénégal), the Réseau gazier du Sénégal (national gas pipeline company), CBAO Attijariwafa Bank, La Banque Agricole, and the Société Africaine de Raffinage (SAR). He also represents Senegal in regional and international financial institutions such as the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), and the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE).
Prior to joining public administration, he worked in the international financial sector in New York as Vice President – Debt and Fixed Income at Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp. (2009–2018), where he advised financial institutions and public entities on portfolio management, asset valuation, and credit risk analysis. He also served as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Michigan’s Office of Tax Policy Research and at the Senegalese Directorate-General of Taxes and Domains (DGID), and collaborated with international partners on projects focused on tax administration reform in Africa.
Academically, Mr. Sarr holds a Master’s degree in Economic Analysis and Policy from the Paris School of Economics – EHESS, a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Carleton College (USA), and the International Baccalaureate Diploma from the United World College (USA). He has also completed specialized executive training in oil and gas contract negotiations, macroeconomic management, financial sector regulation, and corporate governance.
Mr. Sarr has authored and co-authored several academic publications on tax policy, public governance, and the efficiency of tax administrations.
He has been affiliated with several international professional associations, including the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, the American Economic Association, the International Institute of Public Finance, the African Tax Research Network, and the American Statistical Association.