Abidjan, October 10, 2024 - Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé conveyed Côte d'Ivoire's appreciation to the World Bank Group and the French Development Agency (AFD) on Thursday, October 10, 2024, in Abidjan-Cocody. He thanked these institutions for their readiness to assist the country in its ambition to make technical and vocational education a key driver of development.

This statement was made during a joint visit by World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and AFD Director General Rémy Rioux to the Technical High School of Abidjan.

"In terms of cutting-edge technologies, Ivorian technical education must enable young people to obtain all levels of diplomas, including engineer, researcher, and inventor degrees, to promote an Ivorian-specific technology inspired by the experiences of other countries. Many countries in Asia have succeeded in this, and our friends at the World Bank and AFD are ready to support us in this journey," said the Prime Minister.

Rémy Rioux highlighted that his institution, through the Debt Relief and Development Contract (C2D), has invested in over 300 general education institutions in Côte d'Ivoire. He further announced that "now, it is time for technical high schools."

"The same methods, tools, and partnerships that we have built to support the Ivorian government in primary education and secondary schools, with real results, will now be applied with great ambition to technical education, which is absolutely essential," affirmed Rémy Rioux. He added, "All the tools are at your disposal, including those from the AFD Group, the World Bank Group, and other financial institutions, such as BOAD and BNI. We will roll up our sleeves and succeed together."

For his part, Ajay Banga mentioned that practical agreements have been signed between the World Bank and Côte d'Ivoire. "Côte d'Ivoire is building schools and institutions to train its youth, and the World Bank is here to support it through job creation."

He also recalled that "the World Bank has already contributed over 400 million CFA francs to support Côte d'Ivoire in implementing its development plan, particularly to provide it with technicians and engineers, which will help make it a great country in the future."

During this visit held at the Dakin Development Center, the guests of the Minister of Technical Education, Vocational Training, and Apprenticeship, Koffi N'Guessan, witnessed a successful demonstration of air conditioner repair by an apprentice.