ENI and AVSI support education in Ivory Coast

The project “Quality Support of primary education in the Region of South Comoé and in the municipality of Port-Bouët in the district of Abidjan” is underway.

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Countries Côte d'Ivoire

Sectors

Education

Date 19.12.2022

The opening ceremony of the project "Quality Support of primary education in the Region of South Comoé and in the municipality of Port-Bouët in the district of Abidjan" took place on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at the Petit Bassam school, one of the 20 schools that benefit from this project in Ivory Coast.

The project kick-off ceremony

The ceremony was attended by more than 300 people and representatives of the organizations involved in the project:

Anastasie Kacou Sepou, Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of National Education and Literacy in Ivory Coast (MENA - Minister of National Education and Literacy)
Ignazio Bellini, representative of ENI
Lorenzo Manzoni and Bamba Lassiné, respectively AVSI Regional Manager and AVSI Country Representative
Marcelle Gbonke, representative of the Municipality of Port Bouët
Delazer Kodja, head of the Petit Bassam village, accompanied by a neighborhood delegation that included the directors of local youth and women's associations.

AVSI ENI avvio progetto riabilitazione scuole in Costa d'Avorio

Knowing that the school where I studied, built in 1960, will be completely renovated is a dream coming true. In a few months, our grandchildren will have a beautiful and safe place to study.
Delazer Kodja, head of the village of Petit Bassam

Marcelle Gbonke, the mayor's representative, thanked the Ministry of Education and Literacy, ENI and AVSI for choosing the schools in Port Bouët, "a great opportunity for our young people, for their and also for our future" .

Lorenzo Manzoni and Bamba Lassiné recalled the importance of education in AVSI's vision. “This school rehabilitation project is a concrete example of how our NGO, for 50 years, has based its interventions on education. Education is the cornerstone of development: for every person, their family and their community. ”

With ENI's support, AVSI will help improve access to education for students in 20 primary schools in the Port-Bouët and Sud-Comoé region, getting parents involved in their children's school life.

The objective of this project is to improve infrastructures and access to water, as well as enhancing the students' learning outcomes and strengthen the teachers' pedagogical monitoring skills.

Ignazio Bellini, Head of Sustainable Development at ENI Ivory Coast has presented the context of ENI’s presence in Ivory Coast, with a specific focus on the Group’s contribution to education in the country: “This project supports the government in its education policy and fits well with the priorities of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as with sectoral education programs in Ivory Coast. ENI has set up a special fund to improve the living conditions of Ivorian communities. Through this project, ENI will provide full support to the school system through concrete actions, in order to stimulate school learning for quality education”.

The ceremony was attended by inspectors, central directors, regional directors, and teachers who work in the intervention area. Professor Mariatou Kone spoke on their behalf, thanking ENI and AVSI “for their efforts in favor of the Ivorian school. Since 2015, the Ivorian state has made education compulsory for children of ages between 6 and 16. By rehabilitating school infrastructure, this project supports the government in achieving educational goals. This is a fundamental contribution, perfectly aligned with the objectives of the 2017-2025 plan drafted by the Ministry of Education”.

Anastasie Kacou Sepou, as a representative of the Minister of Education and National Literacy, marked the official start of the project with the first symbolic excavation, which was followed by one of the first project activities: the distribution of textbooks to the pupils.