Josh Weiner
Côte d’Ivoire has embarked on a major turning point in its economic and social development thanks to the infrastructure currently being built throughout the country.
This infrastructure includes drinking water supply, rural electrification, and the construction of engineering structures that contribute to facilitating the mobility of goods and people.
Furthermore, we are witnessing a boom in high-end and luxury real estate due to the strong and growing demand from increasingly demanding populations.
These situations require public and private stakeholders to have highly qualified technical partners to successfully address this project. It is precisely these areas of expertise that have enabled Ingénierie et Travaux Akoutrou (ITA), headed by Dr. Jules Konan, to distinguish itself nationally and internationally through the quality of its work and the professionalism of its team.
This Ivorian company, one of the few in its field to hold both ISO 9001 certifications for Quality and ISO 45001 certifications for Occupational Health and Safety, possesses unparalleled expertise in the field of Construction and Public Works.
In addition to providing reliable local expertise, as evidenced by its distinction at the 2023 National Excellence Award, it now exports its know-how to several countries in the sub-region. Indeed, beyond the National Award of Excellence for the best drinking water supply company in Côte d’Ivoire awarded by the President of the Republic, ITA has received several other distinctions for its merit at the national level. It also has several other international awards, including prizes awarded in Morocco and Rwanda.
Today, Dr. Jules Konan and his team are the pride of Côte d’Ivoire throughout Africa.
His expertise and exceptional managerial skills earned him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in 2024 by Blockchain University in Dubai.
The quality of this businessman, whom many present as one of the future national champions, is appreciated by several institutions and academic organizations around the world.
Hence, his elevation on February 23 in Paris to the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the American university GLORY INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY. During this ceremony, Glory International University also honored the merits of several other Ivorian personalities and role models, including Mr. Tchagba Laurent, Minister of Water and Forests of Côte d’Ivoire, Dean Tiemoko Yade, Canton Chief of Sinématiali, as well as prominent directors of state-owned enterprises and successful business leaders.
The distinguished Ivorian businessman is increasingly attracting organizations around the world, to the point of earning the admiration of the Emirati royal family.
In addition, on March 15, 2025, at the Arab Leadership and Creativity Forum (ALCF 2025), Dr. Jules Konan was named Ambassador of Arab Leadership and Creativity. He was also awarded a certificate in Business Management. He was then awarded an honorary doctorate in Strategic Leadership and Community Development by the American University for Technical and Managerial Science. This constitutes his third such doctorate awarded by international academic institutions.
The only African and Ivorian among the distinguished laureates for this year’s awards, Dr. Jules Konan has raised Côte d’Ivoire’s flag high in the international sphere of professional merit and community action.
As a resident of the Kingdom and Ambassador of Arab leadership and innovation, Dr. Jules Konan has become one of the bridges in the bilateral relationship that will help increase business opportunities between the Kingdom and Côte d’Ivoire.
This inevitably leads us to recognize that Ivorian youth include men and women whose merit and excellence in their work are recognized by leading international institutions. It is therefore up to governments to take concrete action to create our national champions so that we can achieve an Ivorian private sector that contributes significantly to boosting the local economy.
Writer : Marius Tiwan
