Tidjane Thiam

Ivory Coast
Alassane Ouattara under international pressure to let Tidjane Thiam run for president

With Thiam's candidacy facing invalidation, several leading figures, including Emmanuel Macron and Macky Sall, are privately trying to convince Ouattara to abandon such a move. We reveal the details of these discussions.

Free access Politics, Diplomacy 02.04.2025

Tidjane Thiam (left), president of the Parti Démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), with Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, 11 March 2024.

Ivory Coast
Abdourahmane Cissé's busy new Africa-wide role at Lazard bank

Former Ivorian oil minister Abdourahmane Cissé last month joined the international investment bank, which will now surely benefit from his considerable contacts across Africa.

Free access Finance 13.03.2025

Spotlight | Ivory Coast
Alassane Ouattara keeps Tidjane Thiam at arm's length ahead of presidential poll

Seven months before Ivory Coast elects a new head of state, Ouattara continues to give Thiam the cold shoulder. But behind the scenes, several goodwill missions have been launched to bring the two closer. One of them was facilitated by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Subscribers only Politics 12.03.2025

Tidjane Thiam (left) and Alassane Ouattara after meeting at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan, 11 March 2024.

Palace Intrigues
Paul Biya, Lucy Tamlyn, Laurent Esso, Jean-Louis Billon

Intrigues big and small... Every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

DRCUS ambassador Lucy Tamlyn's luxury refuge

CameroonLaurent Esso's absence quells reshuffle rumours

Ivory CoastBillon clan to stage classy Miami wedding

Subscribers only Politics 27.02.2025

Ivory Coast
Rebrab sons pursue Cevital's Ivorian ambitions

The Algerian industrial group Cevital is seeking to establish itself in Ivory Coast. Salim, one of the firm's directors and son of its founder Issad Rebrab, has travelled to Abidjan with a view to setting up production units in the country.

Subscribers only Business 19.02.2025

Palace Intrigues
Félix Tshisekedi, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Laurent Gbagbo, Tidjane Thiam

Intrigues big and small – every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

DRCFrom NYC to Brussels, Tshisekedi's full-on diplomatic agenda

CongoSassou's two funerals and a wedding

Ivory CoastTensions flare between Gbagbo and Thiam

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 19.09.2024

Palace Intrigues
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Emmanuel Macron, Alassane Ouattara, Farmajo

Intrigues big and small – every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

GabonGeneral Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema changes plane plans

Ivory Coast Tidjane Thiam on the menu at Alassane Ouattara's dinner with Emmanuel Macron

SomaliaBehind the scenes of Farmajo's rift with his ex-spymaster

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 12.09.2024

Spotlight | Ivory Coast
Ouattara grapples with disgruntled ex-allies ahead of 2025 presidential poll

A year before the election, the Ivorian head of state is facing the prospect of several former advisers joining forces with Tidjane Thiam. While none of them has yet taken the plunge, a handful are trying to encourage a rapprochement between the PDCI leader and the president.

Subscribers only Politics 27.08.2024

Alassane Ouattara attends the parliament congress in Abidjan on 18 June 2024.

Palace Intrigues
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Pascaline Bongo, Patrick Achi

Intrigues big and small: every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

GabonGeneral Oligui loyal to Omar Bongo's favourite Parisian hotel

Equatorial GuineaObiang to visit Paris without meeting Macron

GabonPascaline Bongo's US exile

Ivory CoastEx-PM Patrick Achi ditches French passport

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 30.05.2024

Palace Intrigues
Macky Sall, Amadou Ba, Alassane Ouattara, Henri Konan Bédié

Intrigues big and small: every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

SenegalSall and Ba's secret meeting

Ivory CoastOuattara keeps his distance from AfDB boss Adesina

Ivory CoastBédié to be laid to rest in Daoukro

Subscribers only Finance, Politics 22.02.2024

Spotlight | Africa
Corsair boss' African odyssey to try to get airline back on track

Pascal de Izaguirre sought to forge personal relationships with a handful of African heads of state last year to try to get his airline out of its financial difficulties. He relied in particular on the help of French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Subscribers only Business 30.01.2024

Corsair airline CEO Pascal de Izaguirre.

In Focus | Ivory Coast
Tidjane Thiam secret phone tap agitates Ouattara's inner circle

As the Franco-Ivorian banker sets his sights on the leadership of the PDCI opposition party, a recording made by Ivorian intelligence in 2020 has resurfaced in Alassane Ouattara's inner circle. It's a delicate matter which Emmanuel Macron is mixed up in.

Subscribers only Politics 10.11.2023

From left to right: former president Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian banker Tidjane Thiam, French president Emmanuel Macron, and current head of state Alassane Ouattara.

Inner circles | Ivory Coast
New PM Beugré Mambé's extensive foreign and domestic networks

One of Alassane Ouattara's most loyal allies took over from Patrick Achi in mid-October. Affable but discreet, the new prime minister has solid networks both at home and abroad, especially in France.

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 03.11.2023

Ivorian prime minister Robert Beugré Mambé.

Palace Intrigues
Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Brice Oligui Nguema, Tidjane Thiam

Intrigues big and small: every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Republic of Congo French media boss visits Denis Sassou-Nguesso at home

GabonCharles Mba behind Tidjane Thiam's visit to Libreville

GabonGeneral Oligui Nguema's on a mission to woo region's leaders

Subscribers only Business, Diplomacy 10.10.2023

Ivory Coast
What role for the leader future of the PDCI opposition party?

Certain senior PDCI figures want to amend the party statutes to exclude the future chair from standing in the presidential election in 2025

Subscribers only Politics 29.09.2023

Kenya, Rwanda
Finance central to Ruto-Kagame rapprochement

A delegation of Kenyan financiers and government officials paid a discreet visit to the Rwandan capital earlier this month with a view to drawing inspiration from the two-year-old Kigali International Financial Centre. The idea is to revive Nairobi's financial attractiveness on the regional scene.

Subscribers only Finance, Diplomacy 14.11.2022

Kenyan President William Ruto (left) and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.

Ivory Coast
Bitter dual nationality issue hangs over 2025 presidential poll

Patrick Achi, Tidjane Thiam, and Jean-Louis Billon are among the names being bandied about as future Ivorian leaders after the 2025 election. But all three might be adversely affected by the constitutional ban on presidential candidates holding dual nationality.

Subscribers only Politics 21.10.2022

Patrick Achi, Tidjane Thiam and Jean-Louis Billon (from left to right).

Palace Intrigues
Emmanuel Macron, Tidjane Thiam, Mohammed VI

Intrigues big and small... Every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

France/Cameroon Emmanuel Macron's agenda in Yaoundé

Ivory Coast Ex-banker Tidjane Thiam soon in Abidjan

Morocco/France Mohammed VI and Macron fail to meet

Subscribers only Politics, Diplomacy 19.07.2022

Spotlight | Rwanda
Macron-Kagame rapprochement boosts French business in Kigali

Buoyed by the Franco-Rwandan rapprochement, French entrepreneurs have been flocking to Kigali since late last year. They have formed a business club and launched a charm offensive in the land of a thousand hills.

Subscribers only Business, Diplomacy 07.07.2022

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in December 2021 in Paris.

Ivory Coast
Secret conversations between Alassane Ouattara and Tidjane Thiam

The previously strained relations between the Ivorian president and the Franco-Ivorian financier have eased in recent months. The two have spoken several times on the phone and those around the former Credit Suisse chief executive are now starting to refer implicitly to plans to visit Abidjan.

Subscribers only Politics 16.05.2022

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and financier Tidjane Thiam.

Africa Massad Boulos, a free agent of Donald Trump's African diplomacy under close watch

DRC The Tshisekedi clan's dangerous ties with cobalt looting "cartels"

Simandou, Nimba and Zogota: the long and difficult road to the start of iron ore production

Cabo Delgado: a gas Eldorado and security nightmare

The Renaissance Dam – a national symbol but a regional quandary

Andry Rajoelina

African Development Bank

Paul Biya

Erik Prince

AFRICOM

Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara under international pressure to let Tidjane Thiam run for president

Ivory Coast Abdourahmane Cissé's busy new Africa-wide role at Lazard bank

Spotlight | Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara keeps Tidjane Thiam at arm's length ahead of presidential poll

Palace Intrigues Paul Biya, Lucy Tamlyn, Laurent Esso, Jean-Louis Billon

DRCUS ambassador Lucy Tamlyn's luxury refuge

CameroonLaurent Esso's absence quells reshuffle rumours

Ivory CoastBillon clan to stage classy Miami wedding

Ivory Coast Rebrab sons pursue Cevital's Ivorian ambitions

Palace Intrigues Félix Tshisekedi, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Laurent Gbagbo, Tidjane Thiam

DRCFrom NYC to Brussels, Tshisekedi's full-on diplomatic agenda

CongoSassou's two funerals and a wedding

Ivory CoastTensions flare between Gbagbo and Thiam

Palace Intrigues Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Emmanuel Macron, Alassane Ouattara, Farmajo

GabonGeneral Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema changes plane plans

Ivory Coast Tidjane Thiam on the menu at Alassane Ouattara's dinner with Emmanuel Macron

SomaliaBehind the scenes of Farmajo's rift with his ex-spymaster

Spotlight | Ivory Coast Ouattara grapples with disgruntled ex-allies ahead of 2025 presidential poll

Palace Intrigues Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Pascaline Bongo, Patrick Achi

GabonGeneral Oligui loyal to Omar Bongo's favourite Parisian hotel

Equatorial GuineaObiang to visit Paris without meeting Macron

GabonPascaline Bongo's US exile

Ivory CoastEx-PM Patrick Achi ditches French passport

Palace Intrigues Macky Sall, Amadou Ba, Alassane Ouattara, Henri Konan Bédié

SenegalSall and Ba's secret meeting

Ivory CoastOuattara keeps his distance from AfDB boss Adesina

Ivory CoastBédié to be laid to rest in Daoukro

Spotlight | Africa Corsair boss' African odyssey to try to get airline back on track

In Focus | Ivory Coast Tidjane Thiam secret phone tap agitates Ouattara's inner circle

Inner circles | Ivory Coast New PM Beugré Mambé's extensive foreign and domestic networks

Palace Intrigues Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Brice Oligui Nguema, Tidjane Thiam

Republic of Congo French media boss visits Denis Sassou-Nguesso at home

GabonCharles Mba behind Tidjane Thiam's visit to Libreville

GabonGeneral Oligui Nguema's on a mission to woo region's leaders

Ivory Coast What role for the leader future of the PDCI opposition party?

Kenya, Rwanda Finance central to Ruto-Kagame rapprochement

Ivory Coast Bitter dual nationality issue hangs over 2025 presidential poll

Palace Intrigues Emmanuel Macron, Tidjane Thiam, Mohammed VI