Interview with Alain Aboa, Vice Chairman of Benianh International Foundation, and Sylviane Fontaine, Administrative and Financial Director of Benianh International Fondation

PRESENTATION OF THE FONDATION BENIANH INTERNATIONAL

The Fondation Benianh International is a non-governmental organization recognized by Côte d'Ivoire law and was created in July 1996.
It aims to create a vote by plebiscite and grant men, women, and the organization's representatives of the promotion of excellence.

• Goal concretized by the handing-over of prizes awarded to the bests in various fields.
• Particular interest granted to the education and training sector.

In the current context of globalization and competitiveness, the mission of the Fondation Benianh International is to contribute to the training of a class of leaders who are capable of helping Côte d'Ivoire fulfill its dream of becoming a newly industrialized country. Its mission is to:

• Identify individuals or legal entities whose performance reflects an aptitude to sustain the aspiration towards a continuously accelerating progress of society.
• Assist such individuals and entities to enhance and optimize their effectiveness so that they can truly become the "elite corps".

The supreme organ of the Fondation Benianh International is the General Assembly, which is made up of members. Activities are supervised by an Administrative Proceeding and daily managed by an Administrative and Financial Director.
In 2005, the foundation received the statute of association working in the field of higher education by a joint decree of the Ministry of the Economy and Finances of Côte d'Ivoire and the Ministry of Higher Education of Côte d'Ivoire.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW

Who is eligible to receive bursaries from the Fondation Benianh International and how does the selection process function?

Mr. Alain Aboa: To be eligible, the candidate must be of Côte d'Ivoire nationality, be younger than thirty-five years old, and have a school course (starting from the Baccalaureate) and an academic course (until 4 training years waiting for the effectiveness of the LMD system) so admirable that it makes the candidate one of the best in his year. In other words, excellence is our selection criterion.
Before any selection, a call for submission is launched to those who obtained an admission or a preregistration in an internationally renowned University in the course of the year. He needs to have a letter of recommendation from one of his professors and is not allowed to have failed a grade in his previous academic years.
Highly qualified individuals from different professional backgrounds, such as professors, lawyers, company executives, and certified jurists make up the jury team. We believe that these individuals are qualified to select the right candidates for our program. Once the jury is selected, we proceed in the elimination process in conformity with transparency criteria. At the end of the process, the jury reviews the coherence of his project and can carry out the interview of the selected candidates. The winners are listed by merit order in accordance with the available bursaries.
Please note that by the nationality criterion, we are not trying to discriminate against the non-Ivoirians, but due to our limited capacities, we cannot extend our program. Moreover, the Fondation Benianh International does not hand out social grants and are not addressed to regular people. Our scholarships are really about the personal, intellectual, and academic qualities of the person.

How do you take charge of the candidates once they have been selected?

Mr. Alain Aboa: The selected candidates each receive a letter attesting a grant obtaining; the candidate presents this letter to the welcoming school and the school addresses us a bill of the school fees. Consequently, we proceed directly to the payment on the establishment bank account. Due to our limited capacities and aims at taking into account a great number of candidates, the highest amount is fixed at 4 million CFA (6000 €) for European destinations and 5 million CFA (7000 €) for the U.S. There is an exception, however, for winners admitted in public institutions that cost less than the amounts indicated above; we directly pay them an amount corresponding to books or research fees besides the school fees paid to the institution.

Why should companies go into partnership with the Fondation Benianh International?

Mr. Alain Aboa: The companies have a true interest in partnering with the Fondation Benianh International. First, our laureates go to the best schools in the world for sharpened training; at the end of their studies, they have a high potential within these companies because of their proven competency. Secondly, the available ones who return to their country after training abroad allow some multinationals to save money. In fact, it costs less money to hire a national who received professional training abroad in the best schools and is just as good as a European employee for whom the company will need to spend much money for his family, housing, and allowances, such as the costs of expatriation. Lastly, going into partnership with the Fondation Benianh International gives one's company a better impression, contributes to building an elite of great use for this country, and makes sustainable development a basis of policy.
Moreover, it is important to know that donations addressed to the Fondation are exonerated from Industrial and Commercial income tax, in accordance with the joint decree n°140 of May 3rd, 2005 of the Ministry of Economy and Finances and the Ministry of Higher Education.

What are the different ways used to attract partners and promote your foundation?

Mrs. Sylviane Fountaine: To attract partners and to promote the Fondation Benianh International, we organize an annual open house and days of excellence to award our students. During these events, we officially present Awards to the heads of companies and to the public the selected students; this last event also allows us to distinguish and honor the heads of companies who supported our policy. We organize some lunch debates in which our new partners participate. We also maintain a relationship network with the Commerce and Industry Chambers, the Ivorian employers, our ministries in charge.
We organized the SAGE (Salon Africain des Universities et des Grandes Ecoles) in 2001 and in 2002. However, due to the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, we were unable to continue this event. The event allowed us to host the sub-regional and French schools in addition to Côte d'Ivoire's schools.

How does your message come across to a broader audience?

Mrs. Sylviane Fountaine: Communication is at two levels. We have 100 members and are expected to promote the foundation and try to bring in new partners. We also communicate through media (press and audio-visual).

Do you have a network of students who are at the foundation, or young people who are part of a community, such as an association of students or alumni, like you see in the major international business school?

Mr. Alain Aboa: We organized our alumni students around a network that gathers them in order to create a link between them. They keep in touch when they are abroad, and we are trying to encourage them to continue this contact. This network is actually made of 250 members. Besides that network, we assist associations of students. Admittedly, they do not receive any financial help on our part, but we advise them, introduce them to some models, and invite them to all our events during which they are presented to heads of companies.

Talk to us about how you proceeded in organizing international contests?

Mr. Alain Aboa: African countries always had the impression that our systems were corrupt and that every company was family run. I think that the Fondation Benianh International within a ten-year period presented itself as a contrary model to these practices. That concept played in our favor. Thus, we took advantage of the Paris Chamber of Trade's trust which agreed to make us organize in Côte d'Ivoire the Contest of the International admission Services preceded by the TAGE MAGE. TAGE MAGE is an aptitude test for Management studies organized by the National Business Management Teaching Foundation (FNEGE) with which we are in touch since 2009.
In the same way, another consortium named Ecricome Universa trusted us and asked us to organize on the spot the TAGE MAGE for the admission in the following Universities: ESC Bordeaux, Euromed Management, ICN Business School Nancy, Reims Management School, Rouen Business School, and Management School Tours-Poitiers.
In 2011, the Foundation also obtained the Score IAE-Message organization, which is an aptitude test and necessary to allow a candidate to apply in more than 200 university trainings in management taught in the Business Management Institutes or Management Departments (UFR) in France.

Apart from Ivorian donors, do you also receive international donations?

Mr. Alain Aboa: The Foundation receives donations from TOTAL Rafinage International France, from BNP Paribas Company, and from the Cooperation and Cultural Activities Agency of France Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire.

Can you give us some examples of individuals who were part of your program and hold key positions in huge companies?

Mr. Alain Aboa: CISSE was a part of our program and now holds a key position in a large company. He obtained a bursary for studying in the Mine School of Paris after he received training in a college of Manchester. He is actually the Chief Executive Officer of the Logistic Service and Oil Operations at PETROCI (the largest oil company in Côte d'Ivoire).

Mrs. Sylviane Fountaine: We also have Lancina SORO. After studying in ESCP, he worked in Morocco as the Hewlett Packard representative for Africa and actually functions at the Hewlett Packard head office in Geneva.
Not to quote everyone, but I will briefly say that some of our award-winners are finance directors and bank leaders; others are employed in pharmaceutical firms and in telecommunication.

In terms of partnerships, you are well advanced but what are the other needs you are looking for as a foundation?

Mr. Alain Aboa: Obviously, our needs are essentially financial based. For this reason, in spite of our present partners' satisfaction, we want to enter more partnerships, especially at the international level with patrons and foundations that wish to contribute to African leaders' training. Since we do not undertake profit-making activities, the fact that our means are limited does not allow us to grow.

Finally, what are your perspectives for the foundation in the next 5 years?

Mrs. Sylviane Fountaine: Our main goal is for the Fondation Benianh International to have its own head office. Right now, we are tenants of a building that we pay for quarterly and our wish is to grow. That begins with acquiring a head office. I thus seize the opportunity to appeal to the common sense of patrons and all those who recognize the significant role that we play in Côte d'Ivoire so that they support us in carrying out this project.
We wish for greater recognition from the Ivorian government (through the Ministry of Higher Education of Côte d'Ivoire and scientific research) to which we bring a real relief in its mission of young Côte d'Ivoire education and training. It is undeniable that by granting the Fondation Benianh International the statute of association in the working, training, and education field, the government recognized the importance of our mission, however, we want to have the public utility recognition which could bring us more advantages.
Finally, I would like to reconsider the plea that Mr. ABOA expressed before. I thus call all the patrons throughout the world who actually discover our activities to join us and take part in financing the Fondation Benianh International, as they already have the capacity to do as far as the development of Africa is concerned. We ensure them of the best use of their funds that they would possibly grant us since our accountancy is controlled and certified by the Ernst & Young cabinet. My last word - contribute to the training of developing countries' leaders and allow them to have the same qualification level of those of developed countries so that we can create a social fairness.

Mr. Alain ABOA is a law professor at the University of Cocody Abidjan, attorney at the Ivorian bar, Vice Chairman of the Fondation Benianh International, and president of the SAI/TAGE MAGE jury in Côte d'Ivoire and the excellence Jury that selects grant holders of the Foundation.

Mrs. Sylviane FOUNTAINE has been the administrative and financial director of Fondation Benianh International since 1999. Of French nationality, she has lived in Côte d'Ivoire since 1946 and was a member of the French school administrative proceeding for 7 years.

Picture credit: Unicef/Education and Transition