Of Beninese nationality, Elisabeth Gnansounou Fourn holds a PhD in Family Sociology at the University of Montreal/Quebec in 1994. For twenty-two years, Dr. Fourn was a teacher-researcher at the University of Abomey-Calavi before retiring in October 2017. She is passionate about all issues affecting women, family, culture, family planning and sexual and reproductive health. Dr. Fourn developed a Professional Master in Gender and Management of Development Projects (GGPD) in 2015 and a Laboratory for Analysis and Research in Gender, Population and Development (LARGPeD) in 2016. In October 2020, became a Full Professor of the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES). She thus became the first woman teacher – researcher with the title of Full Professor of the Pan-African University Institute (IUP).