Assouman Honoré Yao, 41 years old, is a Geologist and Sociologist expert on training. He was born in Toumodi, Ivory Coast, 46 Kilometres from the capital Yamoussoukro. His father was an engeneer working for the national electric company. Assouman arrived in Italy in 1985 and graduated at the University of Pisa. His thesis was about the valorization of granites in his country.

Since he settled in Tuscany, he has been working , as a volunteer, for immigrants' integration and for cultural interchange. He also took part to the provincial council of Pisa on immigration.

In 1997 Assouman started working for CERFE group, promoting its activities in Africa, through various missions with many Western African governaments (Ivory Coast, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Benin, Tchad, Niger Camerun, Mauritania, Zambia, South African Republic) and with many international organization such as United Nations and ADB (African Development Bank).

In 1998 he worked in the field of qualified migration in Europe and directed several CERFE's studies about the relationship between immigration and enterprise. He especially focused on the field of training and contributed to the constitution of the "Forum sulla nuova imprenditorialità" (Forum on new entrepreneurship).

He contributed to the editorial staff of OMEGA. During the last year he took part to the action research, undertook by CERFE, about African societies, focusing on the diaspora theme. He then became the editor of the e-magazine "African Societies".

Assouman is also the vice director of "Capitale Sociale Locale nell'Area Pisana", a special project that CERFE Group carries on in the frame of the European Commission project called "Local Social Capital". This program is financed by ESF.

Assouman is the Vice President of "Operazione Sviluppo" an NGO connected to CERFE Group, working in the cooperation and development field.

Among his hobbies is worth to mention soccer, infact, he used to play in the ivorian national football team under 18. Nowadays he plays soccer once a week with his colleagues working for CERFE Group.