Fatim Cissé (photo) is the founder of IT firm Dux and CEO of IHS Towers Côte d'Ivoire. She is also the first Ivorian woman to get an artificial intelligence degree. 

After completing secondary school in Côte d'Ivoire, she traveled to Canada for a Master’s in Human resources management at HEC Montreal in 2010. Six years later, she obtained a degree in management from Harvard Business School. In 2019, she made history by becoming the first Ivorian woman to graduate from Singularity University’s Executive Program in artificial intelligence. Her professional career began in 2005 with big foreign firms like Hewitt & Associates, Quintiles, and Centennial Marketing Group. 

In 2011, she returned to her home country where she took over the human resources division of Ericsson Côte d'Ivoire.  Driven by the desire to contribute to the development of Côte d’Ivoire, she founded Dux, an IT firm, in 2018.  Her company makes it easier for African businesses to access digital services, in addition to offering AI, cybersecurity, big data, and data science courses. She also designs customized courses for companies.   

Besides her entrepreneurial ventures, she also pursues a career in telecoms. In 2020, she was appointed CEO of IHS Towers Côte d'Ivoire, a multinational telecom infrastructure company. In 2019, she was made a Knight of the National Order of Côte d'Ivoire. In 2019 and 2020, she was included in the first two editions of Who's Who Côte d'Ivoire, a book aimed at highlighting the country’s best talents.   

In line with her goal to "prepare African organizations for the 4th industrial revolution," she builds strong trust-based partnerships with her clients, guaranteeing the security, reliability, and efficiency of the technological solutions she offers.  

"We have a clear vision of what we want to be: a leader in artificial intelligence on our continent, through the development of tailored applications, training, and consulting. Our progressive thinking combined with our deep understanding of local realities and our pragmatic and creative approach set us apart from our competitors," she says.

Aïsha Moyouzame