Ousmane Issoufi Maïga

Ousmane Issoufi Maïga (born 1945 near Gao, Mali) is the prime minister of Mali. He was appointed to that position on April 29, 2004. Issoufi had previously held several ministerial posts in previous governments.

Issoufi studied economics at the University of Kiev (Ukraine - at the time part of the USSR) and then at American University in Washington, DC, where he graduated with a degree in banking and finance. He has worked for the World Bank and in the French Ministry of Finance, where he was Assistant Director of the Caisse autonome d’amortissement (Autonomous Debt Financing Fund).

In 2002, he became Minister for Youth and Sports for Mali and organised Mali's hosting of the African Nations Cup that year.

After the election of Amadou Toumani Touré as Mali's president, Issoufi joined the the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed ag Hamani on June 14 2002 as Finance Minister. Following the cabinet shuffle of October 16 2002, he became Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

On April 29 2004, he was named Prime Minister.