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Former prime minister of Côte d’Ivoire among CID’s fellows for spring semester

Patrick Achi.

Patrick Achi, former prime minister for the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, will join the CID’s inaugural class of fellows.

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The Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University is pleased to welcome a new cohort of fellows for the 2024 spring semester. Fellows play an important role at the center as they devote their time to research, writing, and/or classroom participation to deepen our collective understanding of international development. CID’s fellows this spring include Patrick Achi, the former prime minister of Côte d’Ivoire, and CID’s inaugural class of fellows as part of the center’s new Visiting Researcher Program

Achi recently stepped down in October 2023 as prime minister and head of government for the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire after working in the private sector and in public administration for many years. During his fellowship, he will focus his research on addressing the slow pace of economic transformation and human development in Africa and teach a CID seminar on accelerating sustainable development.  

“We are thrilled to have Patrick Achi join the Center for International Development this spring,” said CID Faculty Director Asim I. Khwaja.

CID Executive Director Fatema Z. Sumar echoed this sentiment. “Having worked with him to promote inclusive economic growth in Côte d’Ivoire and the broader region, I have seen first-hand how his leadership has created opportunities for Ivorians to access better schools, roads, and power infrastructure,” she said.

“CID’s research community and Harvard students will benefit extensively from his deep experience leading one of Africa’s fastest growing economies,” Sumar added.

Achi holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Université de Cocody in Abidjan; a master of science in eectrical engineering from École Supérieure d’Électricité de Paris (SUPELEC); a certificate of economy from University of Paris 1- Sorbonne; and a master of science in management from Stanford University. He joins CID alongside the inaugural cohort of researchers from CID’s Visiting Researcher program.

CID’s Visiting Researcher Program welcomes Ph.D. and postdoc researchers from select European countries to pursue their research for a year in residence at Harvard Kennedy School, made possible by support from the UniCredit Foundation.   

See the full listing of CID’s Spring 2024 fellows.