Recognition of Student Awards sponsored by BRVM and Tullow Oil

African Leaders’ Showcase brings Role Models to Life

Recognition of Student Awards sponsored by BRVM and Tullow

The Ninth Graduation Ceremony held at Palais de la Culture in Treichville, Abidjan, was a
momentous occasion for IUGB as it celebrated the graduation of one hundred and fifty (150)
students from diverse programs. The strong partnership between the university and industry has
played a pivotal role in producing high-quality graduates who are well-prepared to excel in their
respective fields. Two partner organizations, La Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières
(BRVM) and Tullow, joined forces with IUGB to promote excellence in the industry-academia
sphere.

BRVM Cash Awards

BRVM, renowned for its contributions to the financial market, presented cash awards to
outstanding graduating students, with the CEO, Dr. Edoh Kossi Amenounvé, personally
awarding the prizes. Ms. KOUASSI AKOUPO Kouamebah Yvanne Ornella, the Valedictorian
of this year's cohort, received a cash prize of 1,500,000 FCFA. Mr. N’DRI, Koule Elie, who
achieved the highest GPA in the School of Business and Social Sciences (BSS), was awarded
1,000,000 FCFA. Ms. OUYA, Anne-Marie Christelle, who excelled in the School of Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), was honored with 1,000,000 FCFA.
Additionally, Ms. AMICHIA, Bessikoi Serena Marie-Renee, the graduating female student with
the highest GPA in the program of Bachelor of Business Administration with a Concentration in
Finance, received a cash award of 1,500,000 FCFA. These prestigious awards showcase the
academic excellence of our students.

It is worth mentioning that the CEO of BRVM, also serves as the sponsor of the IUGB Trading
Room, which was inaugurated on May 25, 2023 at the IUGB campus in Grand-Bassam. The
Trading Room, named the "Dr. Edoh Kossi Amenounvé Trading Room," is a recognition of Dr.
Amenouve’s contribution to the financial industry in Africa and his commitment to empowering
students with practical knowledge and skills in this industry. Me Théodore Hoegah, the
Chairman of the IUGB Board of Directors, Professor Saliou Touré, the President of IUGB, and

Dr. Koffi N’Da, the Dean of BSS, expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Amenounvé for
generously providing this important facility to IUGB.

Tullow Laptop Awards

In recognition of the growing importance of entrepreneurship, Tullow, through its Country
Director, Mr. Amoi Ngattia, generously sponsored three laptops for exceptional students. Ms.
Binta Louizane Irma Congo, who has established a successful business with a partner, and Ms.
Axelle Manuelle Fondy Koko, who started her own organization after completing the first
Entrepreneurship course at IUGB, were among the deserving recipients of the laptops. Mr.
Abraham Sawodogo, who impressed with his CEO Interview with an Entrepreneur, also received
this special honor. These three students were proudly presented with the inaugural "Maiden
Tullow Entrepreneur Awards”. Dr. Koffi N’Da, the Dean of BSS, and Dr. Eva Ebenezer, the
Entrepreneurship Lead, expressed their deep appreciation for the students' remarkable
achievements and wished them continued success. Looking ahead, IUGB has incorporated plans
for the establishment of the Center for Innovation Entrepreneurship (CINOVE) in its current
Strategic Plan. This dedicated center aims to assist students in launching their entrepreneurial
ventures and provide innovative solutions to community challenges in Africa. The university will
collaborate with industry partners to realize this vision, fostering a robust industry-academia ecosystem that empowers future generations of entrepreneurs.

Fatima Doumbia Koné is a Mathematics lecturer at the international University of
Grand-Bassam (IUGB). Among the courses she taught we have the following: Introduction to
Differential Equations, Elementary Statistics, Calculus(I,II,III), Transforms in Applied Math,
Introduction to Linear Algebra, Operations Research and Abstract Algebra.
She has a Bachelor degree in Mathematics (IUGB), a Master degree in Pure and Applied
Mathematics (AUST) and she is currently enrolled for a PhD in Mathematics at the African
University of Science and Tecnology (AUST), Abuja. She has also been an intern at the
Institutional Banking Group department within GTBANK CI (Garanty Trust Bank Côte
D’Ivoire).
She is a former IUGB student and she was the president of the science club in 2015.
Academically, her goal is to be a great researcher and innovator on the topics of asymptotic
theories in Fuzzy Probability Theory and their various applications to image processing. She
has good programming skills (JAVA, LaTeX, C++) and she is bilingual (French and English).
Over the years, she has been developing a method of teaching which not only put students at
the center of the learning process but also which deconstruct most of the stereotypes about the
inaccessibility of mathematical knowledge to everybody.
Regarding her research activities, she has been working since 2018 on the topic of integration
on Banach spaces and a preprint of an interesting work is available at
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.04480. She is continuing with her research on integration but now
her PhD studies focus on Random Sets Integration in Probability Theory. Professionally, she
is a very active lecturer at IUGB and she is currently the faculty advisor of the SHE CLUB,
which aims at promoting women empowerment by providing learning, leadership and
networking opportunities.

I am currently Associate Professor of computer and data science in the school of science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB).
From 2000 to 2018, I successively worked as a research scientist at Independent Computing Research in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Assistant Professor at the department of computer science and
engineering at Université Laval in Québec, Canada; Research Associate at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) where I also received a Ph.D. degree in computer science in March 2000. Upon receiving a master's degree in mathematical and computing science
from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT) in 1990 in Japan, I worked as a research scientist at National/Panasonic, one of the most prestigious companies in Tokyo.
I am involved in research on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Semantic Web and its applications in a wide range of fields. Besides, I designed the current Data Science program in effect
since September 2021 in STEM. In addition, I am also one the founders and current President of the
Ivorian Association of Artificial Intelligence and member of ORBICOM, the Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication headquartered in University of Quebec in Montreal (UQUAM), Canada.

Kwame Simpe Ofori is an Assistant Professor in Finance at the school of Business and Social Sciences. He holds a doctorate degree in Finance, a master’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in Telecommunications Technology. He is also currently a PhD student at the School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He has taught courses in the areas of finance, computer science, computer and electrical engineering, and telecommunication engineering. Before joining IUGB he lectured in several universities in Ghana. He also worked with Ghana Telecommunications Company as a support engineer. His research interests are in the areas of consumer behaviour, technology adoption and trust in online systems and in recent times financial econometrics. His papers have appeared in several CABS-ranked journals such as Information Technology and People, Journal of Cleaner Productions, Quality Management Journal, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, Journal of African Business, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology and Society and Business Review.