 His father, Amadou Thiam, a journalist, was born in Senegal and emigrated to Côte d'Ivoire in 1947.He supported Houphouet-Boigny in his fight for the independence of the country and served more than ten years in the Ivorian cabinet after independence.Tidjane’s uncle, Habib Thiam, was Prime Minister of Senegal for more than 10 years and also served as President of the National Assembly.