President of the Republic

President Ouattara, an economist by training, was born in Dimbroko, Côte d’Ivoire, on January 1, 1942. He earned his PhD in economics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1972. After graduation, President Ouattara held a variety of positions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and later moved to the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), where he was named Vice-Governor in 1983, and Governor in 1988. President Ouattara then returned to Côte d’Ivoire to serve as Prime Minister from 1990 until 1993. From there, President Ouattara went back to the IMF, where he was named Deputy Managing Director. On November 28, 2010, he was elected President of Côte d’Ivoire. Since entering office, national reconciliation and economic development have been President Ouattara’s top priorities, with the ultimate objective of making Côte d’Ivoire an emerging market country by 2020.