BPW International

Who is Sabine Kone Dossongui ?

Sabine Kone Dossongui, the current Vice-President, BPW Abidjan-RCI, Côte d’Ivoire, has been married for over 30 years to a very supportive husband, Bernard Kone Dossongui and despite her busy schedule, has managed to balance her professional, social, as well as family life effectively. She grew up in a modest but large happy family from which she imbibed a rich spiritual quality and a readiness to be of service to others. This latter quality came to the fore when at the International Congress in Helsinki, she donated the proceeds of the sale of the gold wrist-watch she won from the Young BPW raffle draw at the Gala night to the children of Japan.

After her secondary education, she decided to pursue a degree in the sciences which was very unusual for girls in her time. She later obtained a post graduate degree - Master of Science - from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, USA in 1980, after which she returned to her country and started a career in administration at SODEFEL (Society for the Development of Fruits and Legumes) as Deputy Technical Director. This post gave her the opportunity to put in place a system for commercialization of legumes in Cote d’Ivoire which at that time was the principal producer and exporter to the north and eastern countries.

Her academic career started in 1981 when she was invited by the National Higher School of Agronomy (ENSA) to teach courses in Horticulture as temporary employee in the Department of Agronomy. This opportunity kindled her interest in teaching at a higher institution of learning. To acquire competences that her new position demanded, she enrolled for a doctorate degree in Agronomy which she completed in 1991. Her PhD project focussed on identifying and proffering adaptive solutions to challenges faced by farmers cultivating oil palms. This research work gave her the opportunity to resolve the critical problem of food self-sufficiency for this group of planters.

Additional national responsibilities she has had to take include,  Assistant Director in the Directorate of Scientific Research  with the responsibility of promoting the products of research (including human resources) and Under Manager of the Upper Grande Écoles in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Sabine is a member of AFEMCI (Association of Women Researchers in Cote d’Ivoire; consultant at WINROCK International and AWLAECI; President of ONG International working for the promotion of women in the field of agriculture and environment; UNIAGRO (Association of Agronomy Engineers in Cote d’Ivoire); and Lions Club International and BPW International. Active membership of these associations affords her the opportunity to serve others and to see target groups benefit from the activities of the associations.