Professor Etienne Ehouan EHILE was the former Directeur de Cabinet of the Ministery of Health and Public Hygiene in Côte d’Ivoire from March 2010 to July 2011 and former President of the Université d’Abobo-Adjamé, now Université Nangui Abrogoua, Côte d’Ivoire, where he spent two terms of 4 years each (2001-2010), prior to taking office as the Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU) in August 2011. Professor EHILE is not new to the AAU because he has been an active member of the AAU Governing Board since 2005. Professor EHILE is an Ivorian National and a renowned physiologist. He graduated from the Faculty of Science at the University of Abidjan in 1974, where he obtained his MPhil degree. He then moved to the University of Aix Marseille III (France) and obtained his Doctorat 3ème Cycle Degree in Neurophysiology with honours in 1978. His research works were conducted at the Neurophysiology Laboratory of National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS), France.

He joined the Université Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan as a lecturer and researcher at the Faculté des Sciences in October 1978. He defended his Thesis of Doctorat d’Etat ès Science in 1985 and was appointed senior lecturer in July1985. He was promoted full professor by the African and Malgashy Council for Higher Education (CAMES) in July1991. Professor EHILE has published more than 50 scientific papers in various regional and international scientific journals from 1978 to 2019.

1. From 1992 to date, Prof. EHILE has held numerous management and administrative positions including:
2. Chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Francophone Africa and Indian Ocean Universities (CRUFAOCI),
3. From 2005 to 2010; Chairman of the Network for Excellence in Higher Education in West Africa (REESAO),
4. Ffrom 2006 to 2010; Chairman of the Scientific and Academic Committee and Board Member of International Institute of Water Engineering and Environment (2iE) of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).
5. From 2008 to 2010; Steering Committee Member of ADEA’s working group on Higher Education (WGHE)
6. From 2008 to 2010; Member of General Consultatif Committee of CAMES,
7. From July 2002 to January 2010; and Member of Consultative Council of ‘’Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie’’ (AUF)
8. From July 2009 to date; In addition, Professor EHILE had also played a prominent role as CAMES and REESAO expert on the LMD (Licence-Master-Doctorate) reform in Francophone countries. Until his appointment as the Secretary General of AAU, Professor EHILE was the Chairman of the National Assessment and Evaluation Committee of Higher Education and Research Institutions (CNEESR) in Côte d'Ivoire