Dr. Kalilou Sylla has assumed the role of Head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture as of October 1, 2025. He succeeds Massandje Toure-Litse, who has been assigned new responsibilities by her home country, Côte d’Ivoire.
Dr. Sylla is an Ivorian national with a doctorate in Economics from Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Abidjan, where he has taught since 1997. His professional background includes serving as Director General of Foreign Trade at Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. In this position, he was responsible for coordinating foreign trade policy, acting as chief negotiator for trade agreements and at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and supporting private sector involvement in foreign trade initiatives and digitalization efforts.
He previously served as Chief of Staff at the Ministry for African Integration, leading negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and managing relations with regional organizations such as ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS, and the African Union.
Between 2007 and 2012, Dr. Sylla worked at the ECOWAS Commission as Head of the Office of the Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policies. This experience provided him with knowledge about how ECOWAS operates institutionally.
In addition to his governmental roles, Dr. Sylla led pan-African organizations including the Network of West African Farmers’ Organisations and Agricultural Producers (ROPPA) and the Pan-African Farmers Organisation (PAFO). Through these positions, he contributed to building capacity among agricultural stakeholders and promoting innovative financing in agriculture.
His expertise covers macroeconomic policies, trade policy, agricultural development strategies, regional integration programs, strategic planning initiatives related to free movement within West Africa, and improving competitiveness in agricultural sectors. He also has experience managing projects funded by international partners such as IFAD, the European Union, World Bank, and UNDP.
At ECOWAS’s Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Dr. Sylla’s main task will be to strengthen economic stability and food security across West Africa. His stated priorities include accelerating agricultural transformation processes, enhancing food security measures regionally, boosting intra-regional trade activity among member states, and increasing global competitiveness amid ongoing crises and geopolitical changes.
Dr. Sylla has authored several publications addressing issues such as corruption on roads during conflict situations in Africa—drawing from Côte d’Ivoire’s experiences—as well as works on youth potential in West Africa and socioeconomic impacts from political-military conflicts.
His recognitions include being named Officer of the Ivorian Order of Merit in 2019; receiving awards such as the CODESRIA Prize for Research on Civil Society and AIDS (2003), Excellence in Economics from University of Abidjan (2000), and best doctoral thesis in economics from University of Abidjan (2018). Dr. Sylla speaks French and English fluently with basic proficiency in Portuguese and Spanish.
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