Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Top News Africa) In Côte d’Ivoire, starting from the next academic year, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will be taught not only in secondary school but also at the pre-primary and primary levels.

The announcement was made by the Minister of National Education and Literacy, Professor Mariatou Koné, during a working session held on Monday, June 30, 2025, at the Lycée Technique d’Abidjan, with Ousmane Diagana, Vice President of the World Bank for West and Central Africa.

This reform, which stems from the General States of National Education and Literacy (EGENA), will be supported by the World Bank.

The initiative aims to familiarize young children with digital tools from their earliest years of learning, thereby laying the foundations for digital citizenship and preparing students for the skills of tomorrow. It represents a step forward in adapting education to the demands of a globalized and technologically advanced world.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to present the CIRA initiative (Integrated Learning Framework), an ambitious program that brings together education and training sector ministries to increase their collective impact. The goal is to train 1.1 million young people.

During the discussion, Minister Mariatou Koné emphasized the importance of synergy to maximize the impact and coherence of actions, while also improving the employability of Ivorian youth.

It is worth noting that ICT was introduced as a subject in Ivorian secondary schools in 2024.

The minister also highlighted two additional reforms. The first involves establishing smooth pathways between the different levels of education (general education, technical education, and higher education), ensuring more coherent academic journeys for students.

The second reform concerns the training and professionalization of guidance inspectors, who now play a key role and are better equipped to guide students and inform parents about educational and career choices.

She also expressed her gratitude to the World Bank for its support in implementing the recommendations from the EGENA.

For his part, Mr. Diagana expressed his deep appreciation to the Ivorian government, particularly praising the leadership of the ministers present, including Professor Mariatou Koné.

He reaffirmed the role of the World Bank as a strategic partner, offering its expertise to support the implementation of this broad governmental program.

Highlighting the significant increase in investments in Côte d’Ivoire, he stressed that human development is an absolute priority.

“We are allocating substantial resources to the training of human capital,” he stated, expressing satisfaction with the effectiveness of the programs resulting from EGENA.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Technical Education, Vocational Training and Apprenticeship, Dr. Koffi N’Guessan, as well as the Minister of Youth, Mamadou Touré.