Support of the modernization and reform of universities and Grandes Ecoles in Ivory Coast - AMRUGE

Issues

Ivorian higher education and scientific research system requested French government support to build its capacity in several fields. In this context, the authorities have opted for a substantial revival of agricultural research in the North of the country, where infrastructures suffered during the crisis. Research is currently one of the tasks set for the country's universities, and CIRAD was asked to set up laboratories at new universities, as part of an ambitious programme that also includes the rehabilitation of laboratories at older universities. Moreover, certain agricultural value chains, such as cotton, market gardening and livestock production are vital levers for developing the country's rural and periurban economy, but the research centres working on those value chains are under-resourced. The research and higher education system is now in a phase of active institutional, infrastructural and academic reconstruction.

Description

To revitalize agricultural research structures while fostering the professionalization of higher education, CIRAD is working on three main aspects:

• Supporting research projects on cotton, market gardening and livestock production at Ivory Coast's Centre national de recherche agronomique;
• Equipping laboratories and practical work rooms at public universities and purchasing modern scientific equipment;
• Setting up an agropastoral farm and launching an industrial research unit to develop biopesticides at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University.

Expected impacts

The project will have:

• Built the expertise, autonomy and competitiveness of Ivorian research teams;
• Contributed to the institutional structuring of the research area in Ivory Coast and its integration into the globalized environment;
• Built the capacity of Ivorian agricultural research teams to innovate and to promote their research results;
• Supported individual training for Ivorian partners in the agricultural research professions.