An economist by training and Financial Services Administrator since 2010, then Planning and Monitoring-Evaluation Expert since 2021, Antoine Kangbe began his career as a unit commander in the Ivorian Republican Guard. He is currently Director of Planning and Monitoring at the Ivorian Ministry of Defense and is responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluation, and statistics.
In March 2026, Antoine Kangbe will defend his Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (EDBA) thesis on “The quest for strategic autonomy of the Ivorian army: maintenance and production, factors in the acquisition of skills for the establishment of an industrial and technological defense base for the benefit of military power. ” under the supervision of Professor Yvon Pesqueux, Professor at CNAM Paris (ESDR3C Laboratory), France.
Thesis Direction
Prof Pesqueux Yvon
Thesis Title
The quest for strategic autonomy of the Ivorian army: production and maintenance, key factors in acquiring skills for the establishment of an industrial and technological defence base
Abstract
The period which opened on September 11, 2001, is marked by a return of military power as a tool for international relations. The return of war as a conflict resolution tool is on the agenda. In this perspective, African countries, especially those of West Africa and particularly Côte d’Ivoire must set up programs to modernize their army over time to strengthen their military power a guaranteeing sovereignty.
The general observation which emerges for almost all the armies of the countries of West Africa, is the quasi-homogeneity of the evils which undermine them in terms of equipment. They often align equipment that does not meet real needs, hence their weakness, which has the consequence that, to save their country in the event of assault, their leaders can only count on foreign aid. Should it remain in this continuous dependence scheme? Shouldn’t they change their orientation?
After the successive crises experienced by Côte d’Ivoire, the State will reconnect from 2011 with strategic planning. This process will lead in 2016, to the vote of the first Ivorian military programming law (LPM). Pending the next laws, the ambitions that the country affects in the first pillar of perspective 2040 is to make this country, an industrial power characterized regarding the army, by the establishment of defense industries and the creation of important shipyards for the benefit of military power.
The realization of such an ambition cannot be done in the absence of key skills within the Ivorian army in terms of production of military equipment. Hence the following research question: “To what extent can the project to establish an industrial and technological defense base in Côte d’Ivoire stimulate the acquisition of key skills in the Ivorian army for the production of military equipment and respond to the quest for strategic autonomy?”.
Four (04) work hypotheses have been developed. After explanation of the key concepts linked to the study, a presentation of the Ivorian army was made in relation to its current structuring. To achieve our demonstration, we have implemented a methodology that was done in two (02) phases: The first was exploration and the second was a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview guide which allowed us to interview fourteen (14) military figures to discuss the hypotheses before ending with recommendations.