Alassane Ouattara was born on January 1, 1942, in Dimbokro, to the late Dramane Ouattara and Hadja Nabintou Ouattara (née Cissé). He is married and the father of four children. He completed his primary and secondary education in Côte d’Ivoire and then in Haute-Volta (now Burkina Faso), where he earned his Baccalauréat in Mathematics in 1962.

He was awarded an American scholarship, which enabled him to continue his studies at Drexel Institute of Technology and later at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Economics in 1967. This qualification earned him a position as an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April 1968. Eager to further his knowledge, Alassane Ouattara pursued his studies and obtained a Ph.D. in Economics in May 1972.

A year later, he joined the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) in Paris, where he became Vice-Governor at the age of 40. In November 1984, he returned to the IMF as Director for Africa. In October 1988, he succeeded Abdoulaye Fadiga as Governor of the BCEAO.

In April 1990, as Côte d’Ivoire faced an unprecedented economic crisis, President Félix Houphouët-Boigny appointed him Chairman of the Interministerial Committee for the Coordination of the Economic Stabilization and Recovery Program. Later, on November 7, 1990, he was named Prime Minister and Head of Government.

Following the death of President Houphouët-Boigny on December 7, 1993, Alassane Ouattara returned to the IMF, where he was appointed Deputy Managing Director in July 1994.

In July 1999, he ended his tenure at the IMF and returned to Côte d’Ivoire, where he took the helm of the Rally of Republicans (RDR).

On May 21, 2011, he was elected as the 5th President of Côte d’Ivoire with 54.10% of the vote. Once in office, he implemented numerous economic reforms that transformed the country and improved the living conditions of Ivorians.

Thanks to his successful track record, Alassane Ouattara was re-elected on October 25, 2015, in the first round with 83.66% of the vote, securing a second term.

In 2020, following the tragic passing of Amadou Gon Coulibaly, the designated candidate of the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) just months before the presidential election, Alassane Ouattara was compelled to reconsider his decision and run for office once again. He won the election in the first round, securing 95% of the vote.