Azaratou Sondo holds advanced degrees from the Institut Technique des Banques de Paris, with a Masterās in Sociology and a Masterās in Corporate Communication and Communication for Sustainable Human Development.
Mrs. Azaratou SONDO/NIGNAN began her professional career in July 1996 with the Sissili Rural Development Program, where she served as the counterpart of the project manager responsible for establishing Village Savings and Credit Cooperatives.
She joined the RCPB (RĆ©seau des Caisses Populaires du Burkina) in 1999, where she successively held the following positions:
ā From September 1999 to August 2004, she served as Coordinator of the Savings and Credit with Education Program at the Regional Union of Northern Peopleās Banks.
ā From September 2004 to June 2010, she was Regional Director of the Northern Peopleās Banks, where she contributed to the consolidation and expansion of Peopleās Banks in the Northern Region.
ā From July 2010 to July 2015, she held the position of Director of Marketing and Communication at the FaĆ®tiĆØre des Caisses Populaires du Burkina (FCPB), in charge of designing and coordinating business plans, policies, and marketing/communication strategies for the RCPB network.
ā From August 1, 2015, to May 31, 2019, she served as Deputy Director General in charge of the Network at the FCPB.
ā On June 1, 2019, she was appointed Director General of the FCPB by the FCPB Board of Directors.
Mrs. Sondo has also been a Board Member of CIF Assurance-Vie Burkina since July 2014, and was elected Chairperson on December 11, 2019. She has also served as a Board Member of LAFINAO-SA since October 1, 2014.
At both the national and sub-regional levels, she served as President of the Professional Association of Decentralized Financial Systems of Burkina Faso (APSFD-BF) from May 2017 to March 2021, and as President of the Federation of Professional Associations of Decentralized Financial Systems of the WAEMU (UEMOA-APSFD) from March 2018 to May 2021. She represents the professional associations and the UEMOA Federation of APSFD within the Boards of Directors of the Burkina Faso Enterprise House (Maison de lāEntreprise du Burkina) and the Deposit Guarantee and Resolution Fund of the West African Monetary Union (FGDR/UMOA).
She was awarded the rank of Knight of the National Order by the Government of Burkina Faso on December 11, 2015.