Téné Birahima Ouattara (born 1955/56) is an Ivorian politician who is currently the Minister of Defense of Ivory Coast. He has previously served as the country's Minister of Presidential Affairs and head of the national intelligence department. He is the brother of Ivorian President
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Ivorian President
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)photocopy
A photocopier (also called copier or copy machine, and formerly Xerox machine, the generic trademark) is a machine that makes copies of documents and other visual images onto paper or plastic film quickly and cheaply. Most modern photocopiers u ...
). He graduated from the
University of Abidjan
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...
in
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
in 1982. He worked for 10 years for
Société Générale
Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English as SocGen (), is a French-based multinational financial services company founded in 1864, registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby in La Défense.
Société Générale ...
Ivory Coast, and worked as the bank's director general. He then worked for Atlantic Bank Ivory Coast from 1992 to 1999, and then for SNG.
Career
Ouattara was a founding member of the ''Rassemblement des Républicains'' (
Rally of the Republicans
The Rally of the Republicans (french: Rassemblement des Républicains; abbreviated RDR) is a liberal party in Ivory Coast (). The party is the country's governing party; the party's leader, Alassane Ouattara, is the current President of Ivory C ...
), and has been the party's treasurer. He has been a member of the Ivory Coast's National Security Council. In 2011, he became a Member of Parliament for Kong. That year, Ouattra also became head of the Ivory Coast Treasury. In the role, he reduced the running cost of the president's office by around 500 million
CFA franc
The CFA franc (french: franc CFA, , Franc of the Financial Community of Africa, originally Franc of the French Colonies in Africa, or colloquially ; abbreviation: F.CFA) is the name of two currencies, the West African CFA franc, used in eight Wes ...
s, including through the reduction of 900 staff. In 2013, he became leader of Kong town council, succeeding his brother Gaoussou, who had held the role since 1995. At the
2016 Ivorian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Ivory Coast on 18 December 2016. The new constitution, which was approved in a referendum in October, reduced the term for the 255 members of the National Assembly from five to four years.
The presidential coa ...
, Ouattra won 99.76% of the votes in the Kong area. In 2018, he left the role in Kong, and became leader of
Tchologo
Tchologo Region is one of the 31 regions of Ivory Coast. Since its establishment in 2011, it has been one of three regions in Savanes District. The seat of the region is Ferkessédougou and the region's population in the 2021 census was 603,084.
T ...
regional council.
In March 2012, Ouattara became the Minister of Presidential Affairs. In the role, he had authority in the
Ivorian Republican Guard
The Ivorian Republican Guard (french: Garde républicaine de Côte d'Ivoire) is an independent military formation in the Ivory Coast that is responsible for protection of government officials and buildings. It is one of the most well equipped uni ...
and the Security Group of the President. Following a cabinet reshuffle in 2019, Ouattra was replaced as Minister of Presidential Affairs, and not given a role in his brother's
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
. In February 2019, he was appointed head of the national intelligence department (ULGB). He was heavily criticised after a 2020 attack in Kafolo, near to the border with Burkina Faso, killed 13 soldiers.
In March 2021, Ouattra became the acting Minister of Defense of Ivory Coast, after
Hamed Bakayoko
Hamed Bakayoko (8 March 1965 – 10 March 2021) was an Ivorian politician who served as Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from 8 July 2020 until his death on 10 March 2021. He had previously served as the country's Minister of New Technologies, ...
was taken ill. After Bakayoko's death, Ouattra continued as the acting Minister of Defense. On 6 April 2021, Ouattara was confirmed as the new Minister of Defense.