Alassane Ouattara

<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Early life and education</b><br>
Born on 1 January 1942 in Dimbokro, Côte d’Ivoire Outarcompleted his secondary
education in Côte d’Ivoire and in what is now Burkina Faso, obtaining his
baccalauréat in 1962. He earned a BSc in Business Administration from Drexel
Institute of Technology (1965) and subsequently an MA (1967) and PhD in
Economics (1972) from the University of Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Professional career</b><br>
After completing his doctorate, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) from 1968, served as Special Advisor, then Vice Governor at the
Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), and in 1988 was appointed Governor
of the BCEAO. He entered formal Ivorian national politics in 1990, becoming
Prime Minister (Nov 1990–Dec 1993) under President Félix Houphouët-Boigny.<o:p></o:p></p><p>

</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Presidential career</b><br>
Ouattara was elected President of Côte d’Ivoire in December 2010, following a
contested election and violence. He was re-elected in 2015 and 2020. In July
2025 he announced his candidacy for a fourth term, arguing that the 2016
constitutional reform reset his term count.<br>
Ouattara has been credited with stabilising the Ivorian economy, restoring
investor confidence and expanding infrastructure in the post-crisis era.
However, his bid for a fourth term has drawn criticism of democratic
backsliding.<o:p></o:p></p>