Samuel Koffi is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB). In this capacity, he oversees the daily operations and development of the University and acts on behalf of the President during his absences.
Mr. Koffi, a 1995 graduate of Georgia State University, has been the driving force behind the higher education partnership between Cote d’Ivoire and Georgia State University since it began in 1994 with the Project Link student exchange program. A U.S citizen, Ivorian National, Mr. Koffi was hired by GSU in 1995 to serve as in-country Program Manager of GSU/Cote d’Ivoire partnership activities. His hard work and commitment to the vision of IUGB has been instrumental in sustaining the partnership with GSU and in holding IUGB together despite a decade of conflict in Cote d’Ivoire.
Mr. Koffi played a critical and central role in the conceptualization and creation of IUGB and helped craft and implement on both the Ivorian and GSU sides, the terms of the 1998 Cooperation Agreement between Georgia State University and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire. That agreement engaged GSU to assist in the establishment of an American style university in Cote d’Ivoire.
Mr. Koffi became passionate about providing quality education to African students in 1989 when he worked with Mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta to provide opportunities, access and support to young Africans living in Atlanta. Several of the beneficiaries of the City of Atlanta’s Educational Programs have since returned to their home countries to help with developing their communities.
Mr. Koffi has served in several leadership positions. As Chairman of the Board of the United Methodist Schools in Côte d’Ivoire, he worked with the Côte d’Ivoire United Methodist Church and the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to reform the school system. He was an Executive of the Ivorian Fraternity Union of Georgia. As the Vice President of the National Students’ Support Council for Africa (NSSCA), he worked with Reverend Leon Sullivan to increase awareness and opportunities for Africa’s development. While at Georgia State, Mr. Koffi served as President of LEAD, a GSU student organization focused on HIV/AIDS education.
Mr. Koffi and his wife Rosalie have three children.