61-year-old Tidjane Thiam was elected to lead the PDCI with 96.5% of the vote at a congress in Yamoussoukro on Friday evening, December 22nd. He succeeds Henri Konan Bédié, who died on August 1st.
Published on: 12/23/2023 – 4:56 a.m. Modified on: 12/23/2023 – 5:20 a.m
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Tidjane Thiam comes from the middle of the country. He is one of the great-nephews of Félix Houphouët Boigny, the first President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. He completed his schooling according to the Ivorian curriculum: at the Nid de Cocody, then at the classical high school in Abidjan. A brilliant student, he went to France to study: he was the first Ivorian to join the Polytechnique, recalls our special correspondent in Yamoussoukro. Bineta Diagne. In 1986 he became a major at the Ecole des Mines and then spent a few years at McKinsey.
At home, Tidjane Thiam was appointed to the main construction control department from 1994 to 1999. In 1998 he was even appointed planning minister. He launches major projects to structure economic capital, such as the expansion of the port of Abidjan, the airport and the Azito power plant. Tidjane Thiam was subsequently appointed Minister of Planning, a position he held for a year. In 1999 the regime was overthrown in a coup. For Tidjane Thiam it is a “shock”: “Coups are harmful,” he comments afterwards.
Also read Eco from here, Eco from elsewhere – Tidjane Thiam: “Let’s listen to the Africans”
Desire for collegial leadership of the party
Tidjane Thiam then focused on his career in the private sector and building international credibility. He worked at British insurer Prudential for 15 years as finance director and then general manager. At the head of Credit Suisse Starting in 2015, he initiated a major restructuring of the company to turn around the Swiss bank in less than five years. He maintains a discreet connection to the PDCI from afar through his older brother Abdel Aziz. Tidjane Thiam “participated financially in every major PDCI event and remained close to Bédié,” assures a party executive.
With this election, he became the third elected president in the history of the PDCI, founded in 1946, after Félix Houphouët Boigny and Henri Konan Bédié. Tidjane Thiam, newly elected to lead the PDCI, wants to pursue a more “inclusive” approach and therefore hopes for a collegial leadership of the party’s affairs.
“We are a family and in a family every voice counts. We are a team and our success depends on our cooperation and our shared determination. “In the coming months and years, I will work closely with you and promote transparency, internal democracy and mutual respect,” explains the newly elected president. We need everyone and we will call everyone. »
Report during the 8th Extraordinary Congress of the PDCI
Bineta Diagne
Read also: Ivory Coast: “It is Tidjane Thiam who makes the PDCI dream the most” (Sylvain N'Guessan)