The Ivorian government is making significant strides in its commitment to educational excellence with the ongoing construction of 15 high schools of excellence across the country, with a particular focus on boarding facilities for girls.
On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the Minister of National Education and Literacy, Ms. Mariatou Kone, chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee for the West African Development Bank (BOAD) financing component, which specifically covers the construction of five of these high-achieving institutions.
This meeting, the first at the Steering Committee level in 2025, was convened to review the progress in the construction and equipping of these high schools of excellence for girls, which will include boarding facilities, according to Professor Mariatou Kone.
These high schools of excellence represent a key promise of President Alassane Ouattara. Minister Kone stated that “there are a total of 15 across the country, one is already operational and we will soon be inaugurating it.” Regarding the remaining 14 high schools, currently in the groundbreaking or early construction phases, she explained that “five are financed by the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and the rest by the Islamic Development Bank.”
The BOAD-funded portion of the project involves the construction and equipping of four high schools and one boarding school specifically for girls. Minister Kone reassured that “work is progressing and we are satisfied” with this component.
Mr. Dosso Gosse, coordinator of the Project for the Construction of Four High Schools and a Boarding School for Girls (PCELFI), identified the towns benefiting from the BOAD funding as Abengourou, Man, Bouna, Korhogo, and Divo. The town of Bouna will host the dedicated boarding school for girls. “The current status of execution is that the contracts were approved in April 2025, and companies have actually started work on the construction site. In Korhogo, we are 15 percent complete, while companies are gradually moving in at the other sites,” he reported.
Mr. Gosse expressed optimism, stating, “We hope that by the end of the year, we will actually have the buildings on all the sites. We have 20 months of work, starting in April 2025, but we are taking steps to anticipate a number of things to complete before that deadline.”
Minister Kone warmly welcomed this project, emphasizing its role in “aiding the excellence of young girls” in particular, and in ensuring equitable access to quality education for young people throughout Côte d’Ivoire. She reiterated the government’s goal to significantly contribute to the education of girls. To this end, the Ivorian government has secured financial support for the localities of Abengourou, Divo, Korhogo, and Man, with each high school designed to accommodate 1,000 students.
Minister Kone further highlighted the breadth of the initiative, stating, “In addition to this project, we have similar projects with AfDB funding in Aboisso, Adzope, Boundiali, Dimbokro, Bondoukou, San-Pedro, Odienné, and Daloa; and we have funding from the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in Sinematiali, where the high school of excellence is already built, operational, and ready for inauguration.”
AP/Sf/fss/abj/APA