Audience: First Lady Dominique Ouattara receives Mrs Renée Mendy, journalist and media training instructor

This Tuesday, April 22, 2025, the First Lady, Mrs Dominique Ouattara, received in audience, at the Presidential Residence, Mrs Renée Mendy, journalist, writer and media training instructor, as part of a friendly visit.

This meeting enabled the two women to renew an old bond, forged over two decades ago. In 1998, when Mrs Dominique Ouattara was launching the first actions of the Children Of Africa Foundation, Mrs Renée Mendy, then a journalist, interviewed her, fascinated by her humanitarian commitment to children. “It’s really a friendly visit, as I’m lucky enough to have known her long before she became First Lady. I’ve known her since 1998. I was already following her when she created the Children Of Africa Foundation. As a journalist, I interviewed her because I was fascinated by the important work she was doing in the field for the children in her country”, said Mrs Mendy at the end of her audience.

The warmth and courtesy of the reunion brought back memories of years of dedication to serving the most vulnerable.

Renée Mendy has a wealth of experience in the media and communications fields. A graduate in Media Sociology and Policy from Oxford Brookes University, she also holds a DESS in Bilingual Journalism from Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III, as well as a certificate in Community Management (IMCI). She began her journalistic career in 1993 at France 3, before working with a number of Parisian media. For twenty-two years, she was deputy editorial director of Amina magazine, while developing her expertise in strategic brand communications.