Côte d'Ivoire has reached a decisive milestone in modernizing its education system. From July 10 to 12, 2026, the city of Grand-Bassam hosted a crucial workshop dedicated to presenting field research and pre-validating the draft Language Policy for Education . Held under the auspices of N'Guessan Koffi, Minister of National Education, Literacy, and Technical Training, this event lays the foundation for a more inclusive school system rooted in its cultural realities.

The main objective is clear: to provide the country with a framework for effectively integrating local languages into school curricula , thereby improving the overall quality of education.

A lever for cultural development and preservation

At the opening, the director of DAAJE (Literacy and Education of Adults and Youth), MAH Louhan Mamadou, praised the leadership of Minister N'Guessan Koffi on this strategic issue.

“Côte d’Ivoire boasts a remarkable linguistic diversity that constitutes a cultural heritage to be preserved, particularly in order to improve the quality of education. It is within this framework that the development of the Language Policy for Education takes place.” — MAH Louhan Mamadou , Director of DAAJE

Addressing contemporary educational challenges

Representing the Minister, Inspector General DIOMANDÉ Mabintou (née CHERIF) expressed the Ivorian government's gratitude to its technical and financial partners. She emphasized that, in the face of global changes, the Ivorian school system must reinvent itself in order to:

1. Improve the quality of fundamental learning.
2. Reduce educational inequalities and strengthen inclusion.
3. Preparing young people for economic and technological transformations.

According to her, the use of mother tongues is a "valuable resource" that will make knowledge more accessible and better adapted to local realities.

The next steps

The conclusions of this workshop in Grand-Bassam are highly strategic. They will allow for the finalization of the language policy document. Ultimately, this reform aims to make national languages a powerful driver of academic success , social cohesion , and the preservation of cultural heritage for future generations.