French EdTech and HRTech Tour 2025 – Cameroon & Côte d’Ivoire

Non-formal learning is making its way into the educational system in Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon, with the main actors being NGOs, public structures in rural areas, and more recently, some local startups.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the private sector has more infrastructure than the public sector, with more than 70% of secondary schools and 90% of higher education institutions. Additionally, there are considerable disparities in the quality of education accessible to learners, with significant differences between these two sectors on the one hand, and between rural areas and cities on the other hand, with more than 43% of public education resources being monopolized by the top 10% most privileged.

The educational system in Cameroon is governed by law number 98/004 of April 14, 1998. It is implemented by four ministries: 1) Ministry of Basic Education (MINDUB) in charge of nursery and primary education, 2) Ministry of Secondary Education (MINSEC) at the college and high school levels, 3) Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP), 4) Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training.

Opportunities for French companies:

• France enjoys a positive image in the field of training: local companies, for the most part, favor the French system of vocational training.
• Orange has launched a tailor-made training program in collaboration with INHP Yamoussoukro: the Data Science Institute.
• Orange has also launched the Orange Digital Center, an ecosystem dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation.
• French companies and training firms are active in Côte d’Ivoire and maintain business relationships either through direct offerings or via local partners: OO2, Actioteam, Marco Polo, the OpenClassrooms platform…
• Simplon.co trains future application developers in collaboration with MTN Côte d’Ivoire.
• The 10000 Coders Association supports unemployed youth and adults in career transition towards digital professions.