Tidjane Thiam

Tidjane Thiam a minister under former President Henri Konan Bédié left Côte d'Ivoire for a lucrative business career after Bédié's ouster in a 1999 military coup...

Few doubt that Thiam offers the Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) which ruled the country unopposed between independence in 1960 and the country's first coup in 1999 its best chance of returning to power (AC Vol 65 No 22 Divided they stand & Vol 64 No 24 Will Tidjane Thiam's 'grand retour' succeed...

It can now present an equally credible lead candidate the Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) leader Tidjane Thiam back home after heading major European financial institutions such as Prudential and Credit Suisse (AC Vol 64 No 24 President Faye set to win in parliament as honeymoon endures)...

This has opened up a contest between him and the man who was overwhelmingly elected president of the party in January Tidjane Thiam (AC Vol 65 No 5 All eyes on 2025 – and the northern border)...

By contrast Tidjane Thiam chosen in January as leader of the Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) is beginning to entrench himself as a figure of weight and popularity in the national political landscape particularly with the crucial Baoulé electorate of the central regions (AC Vol 64 No 24 Will Tidjane Thiam's 'grand retour' succeed...

The PDCI sorted out its post-Bédié leadership problem by confirming on 24 January former banker Tidjane Thiam (61) as party leader...

Thiam understands this and has been nudging his traditionally right-leaning party more towards the slightly left-of-centre because that is where electoral gains can be made (AC Vol 64 No 24 Will Tidjane Thiam's 'grand retour' succeed...

In late 2023 he announced the end to his exile but did not return to Côte d'Ivoire instead travelling to the three junta-run Sahel states and heaped praises on Mali's leader Colonel Assimi Goïta for re-taking the former rebel fief of Kidal (AC Vol 64 No 24 Will Tidjane Thiam's 'grand retour' succeed...

Much will depend on his view if as expected the opposition Parti démocratique de la Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) chooses the popular and respected Tidjane Thiam now returned home after a high-profile career in international finance as its candidate...

Will they nit-pick over the rules to shut out Tidjane Thiam who has returned home after more than two decades...

The much-admired expatriate Tidjane Thiam former Prudential and then Credit Suisse CEO is also seen by many as a potential leader of the country...

The finance summit has been prepared in close coordination with the African Union's special envoys for mobilising funds to tackle Covid-19 including: Tidjane Thiam the Ivorian former CEO of Credit Suisse bank; Rwandan economist and former head of the African Development Bank Donald Kaberuka; and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala head of the World Trade Organization...

Little came of ECA executive secretary Vera Songwe and AU special envoy Tidjane Thiam's call last year for a special structure backed by major international financial institutions to support African payments on outstanding sovereign bonds (Vol 61 No 9)...