Côte d’Ivoire is moving forward with plans to build a major university city in Adiaké, in the southeast of the country, as part of the government’s strategy to expand higher education infrastructure beyond Abidjan.

The first phase of the Adiaké university city is estimated to cost 201.433 billion CFA francs, according to the official PND project portal. The project is listed among the country’s major public projects under the 2026-2030 National Development Plan.

On March 5, 2026, Côte d’Ivoire and the United Kingdom, through its export credit agency UK Export Finance (UKEF), signed a framework agreement aimed at facilitating financing for major education projects. The agreement covers the construction of 56 secondary schools, the development of the Adiaké university city and the construction of student residences. The mechanism is designed to allow Côte d’Ivoire to raise funds with UKEF guarantees, helping the government obtain loans on more favorable terms.

The British ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, John Marshall, said the United Kingdom planned to provide financial support of about £3 billion for major government projects under the new development plan, mainly through guarantees that would help Côte d’Ivoire secure financing on attractive terms.

The Adiaké project is part of a broader government plan to redistribute higher education infrastructure across the country. Côte d’Ivoire has said new public universities are also planned in cities including Abengourou, Dabou and Daoukro, with the aim of expanding access to higher education and developing programmes linked to future economic needs.

The planned university city is expected to become a specialized higher education hub, with training areas including cinema and cultural industries, nanotechnology, communication, arts and culture, management sciences, sports and medicine.

The project is therefore not simply a new university campus but part of a wider effort to decentralize higher education and create new academic and economic centres outside Abidjan. Its implementation will depend on the mobilization of financing and the completion of the different stages of the project.