Alassane Ouattara

Alassane Dramane Ouattara, born 1 January 1942 in Dimbokro, is an Ivorian economist and politician who has served as President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2011. Trained in the United States with a PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, he built his early career at the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), where he served as Governor. He later returned to the IMF as Deputy Managing Director from 1994 to 1999.

Ouattara served as Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire under President Félix Houphouët-Boigny from 1990 to 1993, a period marked by structural adjustment reforms. After Houphouët-Boigny's death, Ouattara was repeatedly barred from presidential contests under the doctrine of ivoirité, which questioned his eligibility on grounds of parentage. This exclusion contributed to the political tensions underlying the 2002–2007 Ivorian civil war.

He won the long-delayed 2010 presidential election against incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, but Gbagbo refused to concede, triggering the 2010–2011 post-electoral crisis. The African Union, ECOWAS, and the United Nations recognised Ouattara as the legitimate winner. UN Security Council Resolution 1975 (March 2011) authorised UNOCI to use all necessary means to protect civilians, and French Licorne forces assisted in Gbagbo's arrest in April 2011.

As president, Ouattara has overseen sustained GDP growth, infrastructure expansion, and Côte d'Ivoire's return to international capital markets. He was re-elected in 2015 and again in 2020 in a contested vote boycotted by much of the opposition after he sought a third term, arguing that the 2016 constitution reset his term count. He leads the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) and remains a central figure in West African regional politics, including ECOWAS responses to the Sahel coups.