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Join the Center for African Studies on October 9 in the CAS Lounge for a student meet and greet with Didier Drogba, the celebrated Ivorian footballer, philanthropist, and global ambassador. Drogba will be visiting Harvard as an honoree at the Hutchins Medal Honors on October 8.
Harvard students will have the opportunity to engage directly with Drogba in a conversation about leadership, social impact, and community building. The discussion will explore how public figures can advance education, empower young people, and support development across Africa and around the world, connecting Harvard’s student community with an African leader shaping global conversations on civic engagement and social change.
Open to Harvard ID holders only.
About Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba is a retired Ivorian footballer and former captain of the Côte d’Ivoire national team. Across two periods with Chelsea Football Club, he scored 164 goals in 381 appearances and won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and the 2012 UEFA Champions League. In the Champions League final, he scored Chelsea’s equalizer and converted the winning penalty in the shootout. He also won the Premier League Golden Boot twice and was voted Chelsea’s greatest-ever player in a 2012 supporters’ poll.
Drogba scored a national-record 65 goals in 105 appearances for Côte d’Ivoire, representing his country at three FIFA World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 2006 and 2009 and received the UEFA President’s Award in 2020.
Beyond football, Drogba has championed education, public health, and reconciliation. Founded in 2007, the Didier Drogba Foundation supports health and education projects, including school construction and programs serving women and children. He served as a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador and has participated in campaigns addressing poverty and public health. Following Côte d’Ivoire’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba joined his teammates in a televised appeal to end the country’s civil conflict and subsequently supported reconciliation initiatives.