How Tenacious Women from Cote d'Ivoire Are Overcoming Challenges & Achieving Business Success

Due to age-old cultural and systemic biases, the word leadership has been associated with men, shaped by traditional power structures that favour men. However, time has changed and so has the perception about leadership. Today there is a paradigm shift with a focus on achieving gender balance in leadership positions globally.

The society and business world has woken up to the need for gender balance which in turn has highlighted unique perspective that women bring to leadership roles. Although a new path is being constructed to a gender-balanced future, yet we have a long way to go.

Looking at the West African nation of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), one realises the same. The World Economic Forum's gender gap report placed Côte d'Ivoire at 122nd out of 146 countries in 2023. Women in the country continue to be underrepresented in the labour force, however, parity is a distant dream. Women's labor force participation in the Côte d'Ivoire business landscape is significantly lower than men's.

However tough the battles may seem, the tenacious ones don’t stop. The current edition of GWL magazine tells the tale of a few such women who have overcome the challenges presented by Côte d'Ivoire’s business landscape to carve a niche for themselves. Beyond their personal success, these women leaders from Côte d'Ivoire are also inspiring role models for young women in the country and the world.

In this month’s magazine edition read an interaction with Banassa Koné who brings expertise in developing bilingual academic ecosystems, tailored education frameworks aligned with global demands. With over 13 years at the helm of Abidjan, Banassa Koné is an education entrepreneur who missions to redefine educational paradigms and cultivate innovation to produce globally competent African talent. Recognized for academic rigor and international accreditation, Banassa’s conviction continues to shape and drive her professional ethos. Under her aegis, British International University endeavours to scale impact anchored in rigorous British academic standards, equipping students with the competencies essential for navigating an increasingly complex global business landscape.

This month’s magazine edition also features an interaction with Ludivine Guth is the Principal Managing Partner at Africa Attractive Partners, a human resources and recruitment specialist. She is passionate about promoting African talent, advancing gender diversity, and developing sustainable leadership in Africa’s extractive sector.

Read more about these women leaders and the secret to their success.

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