Invited as the guest speaker for the first edition of the “Grands Rendez-vous de l’AIP” held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Palais de la Culture in Treichville, Mamadou Touré presented what he described as a positive assessment of the Government Youth Program (PJ Gouv), launched by President Alassane Ouattara in 2023.
The new editorial initiative organized by the Agence Ivoirienne de Presse (AIP) focused on the theme: “Professional Integration and Civic Engagement of Youth: Challenges, Achievements and Prospects.”
“Since taking office, President Alassane Ouattara has made youth a national priority,” Minister Mamadou Touré said during the discussion session.
According to him, the Head of State’s vision centers on youth training, skills development, and the Government Youth Program (PJ Gouv), which serves as a coordinated state intervention framework supported by partners and involving 21 sectoral ministries working on youth-focused initiatives.
The government allocated 363 billion CFA francs to youth programs in 2023 alone equivalent to nearly 1 billion CFA francs per day. After three years of implementation, the program has led to the construction of 42 community colleges, 10 centers of excellence high schools, four operational civic service centers, 10 additional centers currently under construction, as well as several public youth spaces across Côte d’Ivoire.
Out of an initial projected budget of 1.118 trillion CFA francs, a total of 974 billion CFA francs was ultimately mobilized, enabling funding support for around 600,000 young people over the past three years.
“This platform provides an opportunity to discuss the PJ Gouv program,” said Amadou Coulibaly. He noted that when the program was first designed, many young people were unaware of the actions being undertaken by the government on their behalf.
“That is why we must continue multiplying platforms and communicating about what the State is doing for young people,” he added.
For his part, Fausséni Dembélé praised the quality of the guest speaker, saying the minister had, through his eloquence, shed light on youth socio-professional integration through the PJ Gouv initiative.
“Through this exchange, the minister was able to explain this topic in a way that encourages us, as young people, to engage with everything the State is doing for youth,” said Chance Aboua.