On Monday, February 10, 2025, at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé declared, "Technical education is the soil where the geniuses of our nations germinate," in front of thousands of participants, including numerous students from Ivorian technical and vocational high schools.
The Prime Minister was presiding over the official opening of the first International Forum on Trades and Skills (FIMEC), organized by the National Agency for Vocational Training (AGEFOP). The theme of the event was "Reinventing Vocational Training for a Human Capital, Engine of Inclusive and Sustainable Growth."
"Look at countries like Italy, Austria, Germany, and France, where the industrial fabric is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. Their competence and quality of production have forced large industries to source from these start-ups and SMEs because of their superior quality. And it’s simply technical education that is at the heart of all this," said Robert Beugré Mambé.
The Prime Minister, who himself is a product of technical education, pointed out that countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the major Asian Tigers (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) all demonstrate that technical and vocational education absorbs 40% to 60% of the student population in their societies. "Meanwhile, here in Côte d'Ivoire, we only have about 6%. The gap between us and these large nations is very significant," he emphasized.
For Robert Beugré Mambé, technical education is a chance for Côte d'Ivoire, and he sent a message of hope and encouragement to the students: "I am here to encourage you, my friends. Take the training you receive in technical and vocational institutions seriously. You will gain so much from it."
He added, "Technical education offers you the foundational materials you need. The future is here right now; seize it because this is what the President desires for the youth, and the youth must embrace it. You must be willing to work because work creates the product that you will find within yourself and offer to society."
Furthermore, the Prime Minister highlighted that technical education provides at least three opportunities for students: those who graduate from technical high schools or universities can either immediately enter the workforce, become self-employed, or become potential researchers who can transform the world through their hard work and ability to understand a constantly changing world.
He also reminded attendees that in order to strengthen the support system for Ivorian youth in the field of technical and vocational training, the President of the Republic had allocated more than 450 billion CFA francs since 2021 to this cause.