Dr Tenkouano has four decades of experience in agricultural research and development. He is a recognized expert, who has made significant contributions to advancing innovations in the sector. He was nominated to the Steering Committee of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) in 2023 and to the Council of the World Agriculture Forum (WAF) in 2024. Over the course of his career, Dr Tenkouano’s leadership and commitment to agricultural progress have earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious CGIAR Science Partnerships Award in 2009.

Dr Tenkouano holds a PhD in Genetics and an MSc in Plant Breeding, from Texas A&M University, USA; and a diplôme d'ingénieur agronome from the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. His research has focused on genetics, breeding, biotechnology, pathology, agronomy and postharvest strategies, working with multidisciplinary teams to support extension and development of various crops including sorghum, millet, maize, cassava, yam, banana and plantain.

From 2016 – 2023, Dr Tenkouano was the Executive Director, West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), based in Dakar, Senegal. He joined the Council from the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg, previously the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center – AVRDC), where he served for eight years, first from 2008 – 2013, as the Director, Regional Center for Africa, based in Arusha, Tanzania; and then, from 2014 – 2016, as Regional Director, West and Central Africa, based in Bamako, Mali.  Previously, he held a 12-year stint (1996 – 2008), and various positions at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), working on genetics, breeding and improvement of plantain and banana, cassava and yams. From 1994 – 1996, he was the Coordinator, West and Central Africa Sorghum Research Network, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in Bamako, Mali. 

Dr Tenkouano is actively engaged within the regional and global scientific community, having published widely in refereed publications, through his professional services and memberships, as a member of various regional international committees focusing on research for development, as an awards jurist, and through visiting positions in academia.