Cote d'Ivoire

by Graham Clarke

Côte d'Ivoire in a nutshell

Côte d'Ivoire (officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire), is a country in West Africa. Although it is commonly known in English as the Ivory Coast, the Ivorian government officially discourages this usage, preferring the French name Côte d'Ivoire to be used in all languages.

Source : http://www.cia.gov

Côte d'Ivoire has an area of 322,462 km2, and borders the countries of Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea.

The country's population is estimated to be 18.3 million in 2008 (it was 15.3 million in 1998).

Its de jure capital is Yamoussoukro but the largest city is Abidjan.

The country is divided into 19 regions and 58 departments.

Prior to its occupation by Europeans, Côte d'Ivoire was home to several important states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire, and Baoulé. There were also two Agni kingdoms, Indénié and Sanwi, which attempted to retain their separate identity through the French colonial period and even after Côte d'Ivoire's independence. An 1843–1844 treaty made Côte d'Ivoire a "protectorate" of France and in 1893, it became a French colony as part of the European scramble for Africa.

The country became independent in 1960. Today, Côte d'Ivoire is a republic with a strong executive power personified in the President. The country, through its production of coffee and cocoa, was an economic powerhouse during the 1960s and 1970s in West Africa. However, Côte d'Ivoire went through an economic crisis in the 1980s, leading to a period of political and social turmoil. The 21st century Ivorian economy is largely market-based and relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash crop production being dominant. About a quarter of the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.

77% of the population are considered Ivoirians. They represent several different people and language groups. An estimated 65 languages are spoken in the country. One of the most common is Dyula, which acts as a trade language as well as a language commonly spoken by the Muslim population.

French, the (only) official language, is taught in schools and serves as a lingua franca in the country. Since Côte d'Ivoire has established itself as one of the most successful West African nations, about 20% of the population (about 3.4 million) consists of workers from neighbouring Liberia, Burkina Faso and Guinea. Over two thirds of these migrant workers are Muslim.

4% of the population is of non-African ancestry. Many are French, Lebanese,Vietnamese and Spanish citizens, as well as Protestant missionaries from the United States and Canada. Aside from French nationals, there are native-born descendants of French settlers who arrived during the country's colonial period.

Islam is practiced by slightly over one third of the country's population; the Christian community represents just under one third of the population; 12% percent of the population maintain Indigenous beliefs; and 16 percent hold no religious beliefs.

Education in Côte d'Ivoire

A large part of the adult population, in particular women, are illiterate. Many children between 6 and 10 years are not enrolled in school. The majority of students in secondary education are male.

The description at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire is intesting historically but appears to be considerably out of date. A more up to date description is being sought.

Further and Higher education

Universities in Côte d'Ivoire

The National University of Côte d'Ivoire was founded as the Center for Higher Education at Abidjan in 1959 and became the University of Abidjan in 1964. Even in 1987 it was quite large with an enrollment of over 18,000 in 1987. Of this number, about 10,000 were Ivoirians and 3,200 were women. Still heavily dependent on French assistance, it included faculties of law, sciences, and letters and schools of agriculture, public works, administration, and fine arts. In 1996, the National University was split into three separate universities:

1. the University of Cocody (Université de Cocody) in Abidjan - http://www.univ-cocody.ci - with details in English at the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universit%C3%A9_de_Cocody
2. the University of Abobo-Adjame (Université d'Abobo-Adjamé) also in Abidjan - http://www.uabobo.ci
3. the University of Bouake (Université de Bouaké) in central Côte d'Ivoire across three campuses - http://www.ubouake.ci (but the site lacks much detail below the index pages)

An unusual feature (for Sub-Saharan Africa) of Côte d'Ivoire's higher education system is its international character - a substantial number of Côte d'Ivoire students study abroad, while a significant number of foreign students come to study at Côte d'Ivoire universities

Other institutions of higher learning include.

1. Canadian University (Université Canadienne des arts, des sciences et du management, formerly Pole Universitaire Canadien d'Afrique de l'Ouest) - http://www.pucao.org
2. Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët Boigny in Yamoussoukro - http://www.inphb.edu.ci

Some other colleges and schools can be found in Yamoussoukro - see http://www.yamoussoukro.org/english/?page_id=4

Polytechnics in Côte d'Ivoire

Polytechnic Institute, Yamoussoukro

ICT in education initiatives

2007 Infodev report by Babacar Fall [1] states that Cote d'Ivoire was the first African country to utilise internet applications, multimedia and distance learning in the education sector.

References

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