Vamara Touré, Chief of Staff representing the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, officially launched the Skills Academy platform this Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the premises of the Virtual University of Côte d’Ivoire (UVCI) in Cocody–2 Plateaux.
This project stems from a partnership between UVCI, represented by its President, Professor Tiémoman Koné, and the MTN Foundation, represented by MTN Côte d’Ivoire’s CEO, Mitwa Ng’ambi. It aims to significantly strengthen the digital skills of students and academic researchers by providing them free access to internationally certified training programs.
The Skills Academy platform delivers the technical knowledge required to transform an idea into a business, covering fields ranging from web development and artificial intelligence to the security of online transactions. It provides access to more than 400 educational resources, enabling skill enhancement in areas such as AI, software development, and cybersecurity.
This program aligns with the Ministry’s vision, in connection with the National Student Entrepreneur Status (SNEE), which encourages initiative and entrepreneurship within universities. Its objective is to equip young people, particularly the university community, with advanced digital skills, in line with the National Digital Development Strategy 2021–2025. The strategy’s fourth pillar, dedicated to “Digital Skills”, specifically aims to train 100,000 digital specialists.
The initiative responds to strategic challenges such as matching training with employment in digital professions. It is expected to triple the number of ICT technicians and engineers trained, increase women’s participation in the sector to 30%, and enhance the employability of young graduates in both local and international markets.
“This UVCI–MTN Skills Academy project is much more than a simple collaboration. For our Ministry, it represents a major strategic opportunity to bring to life Côte d’Ivoire’s vision of development under the leadership of President Alassane Ouattara. Our country is firmly committed to a dynamic of digital transformation,” said the representative of Minister Adama Diawara.
Through this project, UVCI—at the core of digital transformation within the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research—strengthens its mandate to promote digital culture through pedagogical innovation. For its part, the MTN Foundation sees this collaboration with UVCI as an opportunity to implement its continental program, the “MTN Skills Academy.”