PROF. DOUDA KONE

Capacity Building Director

 Professor Daouda Kone is the WASCAL Capacity Building Director since 6th January 2020.

As the head of the Capacity Building Department, he provides scientific and academic leadership and management of the different Capacity Building Programmes and, in collaboration with the Director of Research, develop work plans for the Capacity Building Department to fulfill the objectives of WASCAL. He also manages and coordinates the Capacity Building Programmes of WASCAL from the Headquarters by developing strategies to ensure effective achievement of the organization’s vision and scientific objectives.

Professor Kone additionally, oversees the capacity needs assessments of the Graduate Schools and give direction for improvement as well as build a strong network among the lead universities in the region and with WASCAL partners in overseas.

He joined WASCAL with more than 21 years as a lecturer at different stages, managing local, national, regional and international projects.

Until his appointment, he served as the Director of Graduate Studies Programme (GSP) of WASCAL Climate Change and Biodiversity since October 2012. He has also been a Full Professor in Plant Physiology at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cocody- Abidjan.

He played the leading role in the establishment of the GSP in Côte d’Ivoire as Centre of Excellence of World Bank in Climate Change Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture in 2015. He also led the establishment of two regional Master programmes linked to the GRP WASCAL for Capacity Building in Climate Change in West Africa; 17 African nationalities are hosted in this programme.

Professor Kone also worked on ensuring the international accreditation of WASCAL PhD curricula and Three (3) others by High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HECERES). He acted as the lead connection of Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny and Côte d’Ivoire Universities to the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture, (RUFORUM).

Professor Kone obtained his master’s in plant Physiology degree in 1991 and went on to pursue a first Doctoral Degree in Agro-physiology and Plant Pathology in 1998. He further went on to obtain a second Doctoral Degree in 2008 also in the same field from the University of Cocody-Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire..