Prega Ramsamy Prega Ramsamy, the new Deputy Executive Secretary of SADC, was born on 5 May 1950 in Rose-Hill, Mauritius. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts honours degree in Economics at Delhi University in India and a Diplome Post Universitaire in Population and Development from the UN Centre for Population Studies, CEDOR, in 1977. From 1975-82 he worked for his government as an Economist in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. During 1981, he was associated with Macedon College in Melbourne, Australia. Ramsamy continued to strengthen his academic background, obtaining the Tokyo Certificate in Project Evaluation, Appraisal and Analysis in 1982 from the International Development Centre of Japan (IDCJ). He obtained his MBA from the California University for Advanced Studies' School of Economics and Management in 1985 and his PhD in Development Economics from the same university three years later. During the period 1983-97, Ramsamy was associated with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat holding a number of positions. He was Senior Trade Expert from 1983-90, Chief of Technical Co-operation and Aid Co-ordination from 1991-93, before being appointed Director of Development Finance and Technical Co-operation from 1994-97. He joined the SADC Secretariat as its Chief Economist in 1997 and subsequently became the Deputy Executive Secretary in September 1998. Lengolo Bureng Monyake In April this year, Lengolo Bureng Monyake, who was SADC's Deputy Executive Secretary left the organisation after serving the region since November 1993. Born in Lesotho on 1 April 1930 at Thabana Morena, Monyake matriculated in 1947 at Lesotho High School. He held several senior posts in his home country and abroad in a career spanning almost five decades. With several educational degrees from different universities, he worked for the IMF from November 1988 to October 1992. Monyake was an Alternate Executive Director of the IMF, representing 19 African countries from November 1988 to October 1990. Monyake was Lesotho's ambassador to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and the European Economic Union from 1979 to October 1983. From 1986 to October of 1988, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and then the minister of Works in Lesotho. Monyake held directorships with the Lesotho Lower Income Housing Corporation and the Lesotho Airways Corporation as well as the Central Bank of Lesotho. He represented his country in different working groups and negotiating fora. He is married with three children. Former SADC Deputy Executive Secretary Lengolo Monyake (L) and new Deputy Executive Secretary Prega Ramsamy (R).