14 Facts About Lassina Zerbo

Lassina Zerbo was born on 10 October 1963 and is a Burkinabe politician and scientist who served as the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso from 2021 to 2022.

On 24 January 2022, Zerbo was deposed from office in a coup d'etat.

Lassina Zerbo obtained a PhD in geophysics from the Universite de Paris XI, France, in 1993.

Lassina Zerbo subsequently worked as project geophysicist for the company's Africa programmes, based in Virginia, USA, and provided technical expertise to all its airborne electromagnetics projects.

Lassina Zerbo led the CTBT Science and Technology conferences in 2011 and 2013 and managed the successful deployment of the CTBT virtual Data Exploitation Centre, which provides an innovative framework for interacting with the wider scientific community.

Dr Lassina Zerbo was elected as Executive Secretary in November 2013, assuming the position in August 2014.

Dr Lassina Zerbo is noted for having established a number of initiatives including the establishment in 2014 of the Group of Eminent Persons, comprising internationally recognized personalities and experts to promote the Treaty's entry into force and to reinvigorate international endeavours to achieve this goal.

Lassina Zerbo secured China's resumed technical cooperation with the CTBTO, leading to the certification of the first five International Monitoring System stations on Chinese territory between 2016 and 2018.

Lassina Zerbo secured a commitment by Cuba to join the Treaty, announced in 2019.

Lassina Zerbo served as the custodian of all technically sensitive information of the organization, which was called on following the earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan in March 2011.

Lassina Zerbo was chosen by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to receive its 2018 Award for Science Diplomacy in recognition of his commitment to eliminating nuclear testing.

Lassina Zerbo was decorated with the Grand Cross in the Chilean Order of Bernardo O'Higgins in June 2016.

In February 2017, Lassina Zerbo was awarded the Presidential Medal on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Republic of Kazakhstan for his leadership in enhancing nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

Lassina Zerbo was appointed Honorary Professor at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in October 2019.