ABOUT PRESIDENT TIDJANE THIAM
President Tidjane Thiam was born on 29 July 1962 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. A brilliant student, he obtained his scientific baccalauréat from the Lycée classique in Abidjan in July 1980, before continuing his studies in France, where he joined the École Polytechnique and then the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines in Paris. After graduating as an engineer and economist, President Tidjane Thiam began his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company in Paris, before being called up in 1994 to serve his country under President Henri Konan Bédié.
As Director General of the prestigious Bureau National d'Études Techniques et de Développement (BNETD), he was responsible for overseeing the country's major projects, in particular drawing up the ‘12 Travaux de l'Éléphant d'Afrique’ programme, designed to continue and amplify the development initiated by President Félix Houphouët Boigny. This programme will have a lasting influence on Côte d'Ivoire's development policies.
An active member of the PDCI RDA, Tidjane Thiam distinguished himself in national politics as the representative of candidate Henri Konan Bédié during the 1995 presidential debate. He joined the party's Political Bureau in 1996, where he played various strategic roles, including that of Special Adviser to the President of the Republic, in charge of strategy and forecasting. In particular, he travelled to the Persian Gulf countries to raise funds for major infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Salam Mosque in Plateau.
His political career took a new turn when he openly criticised President Alassane Ouattara's third term in office in 2020, strongly supporting the Ivorian opposition and Henri Konan Bédié. His commitment was confirmed when he took part in the PDCI RDA Political Bureau meeting on 14 October 2023.
He was elected President of the PDCI RDA on 23 December 2023.
Internationally, Thiam gained prominence by co-chairing the Task Force on Global Public Goods with former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo in 2003, and by participating in the Tony Blair Commission on Africa in 2004, which contributed to significant debt cancellation for African countries. His efforts were recognised when he chaired the G20 high-level panel on infrastructure in 2011, and when he was invited by US President Barack Obama to present at the Camp David G8 summit in 2014.
In 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, he was appointed Special Envoy of the African Union for the mobilisation of financing, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to African development. The following year, he co-organised the Paris Summit, strengthening the dialogue between France and African nations.
President Tidjane Thiam remains a central figure in the economy and politics of Côte d'Ivoire, illustrating through his career the importance of competence and integrity in the conduct of public affairs.
