Access to Education for Out-of-School and Illiterate Populations: The Bridge Côte d’Ivoire Project (2026–2030) Officially Launched

The Bridge Côte d’Ivoire (2026–2030) project, an international cooperation programme funded by South Korea and aimed at improving access to education for vulnerable populations, has been officially launched. It targets children aged 9 to 14 who are out of school or have dropped out, as well as adults in situations of illiteracy.

The launch ceremony was presided over on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Abidjan-Plateau by the Chief of Staff of the Minister of National Education, Literacy and Technical Education, Moustapha Sangaré, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ivorian National Commission for UNESCO, Soro N'Golo Aboudou, and the UNESCO Office Representative in Abidjan, Marius Yves Sagou. The Permanent Delegate of Côte d’Ivoire to UNESCO in Paris, Ly-Ramata Bakayoko, also participated via videoconference.

The Bridge project (meaning “bridge”) is implemented in Côte d’Ivoire by the Ivorian National Commission for UNESCO (CNI-UNESCO) through two complementary components:

·        Bridge Classes: non-formal education programmes for children who have no access to formal schooling or have dropped out of the education system.

·        Literacy Centres: spaces dedicated to basic and functional literacy for adults, with a focus on women and young girls outside the school system.

According to Moustapha Sangaré, over the 2026–2030 period, the project aims to support Côte d’Ivoire in developing non-formal education through the establishment of:

• 150 Bridge Classes for children aged 9 to 14 outside the school system
• 45 literacy centres benefiting youth and adults, particularly women and girls in vulnerable communities

For the year 2026, which marks the operational start of the project, interventions will focus on the Abidjan 2 and Abidjan 4 education districts, with the planned opening of 20 Bridge Classes and 10 literacy centres, benefiting several hundred learners.

He emphasized that the Ivorian government places strong importance on inclusion, equity, and quality in education policy. “The Bridge project is fully aligned with national priorities in literacy, formal and non-formal education, and human capital development. A strong Côte d’Ivoire can only be built with better-educated and well-equipped citizens able to fully contribute to economic, social, and human development,” he stated.

For his part, Soro N’Golo Aboudou noted that Côte d’Ivoire is among the first French-speaking African countries, alongside Burundi and Cameroon, to participate in the programme, and the first in West Africa to benefit from it. The project is funded with USD 150,000 entirely provided by South Korea.

He added that the initiative will initially begin in Abidjan before expanding to the Lacs, Lagunes, and Savanes districts. The project also aims to restore dignity, strengthen citizenship, and promote sustainable socio-economic integration of beneficiaries.