Kamel KONE is an Ivorian entrepreneur and oil expert, passionate about building a sovereign and competitive African oil industry. He is the co-founder and Deputy Managing Director of HYDRODRILL SA, a private Ivorian oil services company and partner on exploration and production blocks.

Educated at ESC Toulouse, Kamel began his career in Paris in finance with groups such as Société Générale Investment Banking, ATOS ORIGIN and ENGIE. On his return to Côte d’Ivoire, he put his strategic and operational expertise at the service of industrial development, before moving into entrepreneurship in the hydrocarbons sector.

Committed to better integration of local skills and companies in the oil value chain, Kamel KONE is now a key figure in local content in Côte d’Ivoire. As President of GESPETROGAZ CI (Groupement des Entreprises de Services Pétroliers et Gaziers de Côte d’Ivoire), he plays a key role in defending the interests of local companies and developing public policies on local content. Today, he is an influential voice on issues of regional integration, oil industry development and extractive sector governance in Africa.