International University of Grand-Bassam: Raising the Educational System in Côte d’Ivoire

Interview with Samuel Koffi, Vice President and COO at IUGB (International University of Grand-Bassam)

What is IUGB? What can an American style university bring to students in Africa?

IUGB (International University of Grand-Bassam) is built on the American system of higher education. The goal of using this style is to bring added value to the system that already exists. Côte d’Ivoire, like other countries, has a system already in place. With the global economy, we would like to open up to other systems. The American system is more hands-on and student oriented. We invest a lot of time cultivating the student to achieve their academic goals as well as their talent.

What are IUGB’s mission and values?

One of the values that we really promote is developing ethics. We want sensitive students that serve the community. Our students are encouraged to be models in their society. IUGB does not see itself as isolated from the community. We really encourage our students to volunteer in the community. We want them to support each other, in turn, helping those students that are not high achievers to become high achievers. We want all of them to understand that education as a public good is not only for oneself but for the community.

What is the impact that the university can have on African students? What is the impact the students can have on Africa itself?

We want to raise the bar very high. We want the educational system in Côte d’Ivoire to be raised because we want to produce competitive students for the global economy. This is what we want to accomplish by 2020.

The impact that the students will have is to enable Africa to compete globally. We know African students are very bright. We know when African students travel overseas, wherever they go, including the United States, they excel. Most of the time, students who travel overseas to acquire additional knowledge are from rich families. We are trying to break this barrier by bringing the type of education we are offering to Africa in order to enable students, even from need based families, to have access, thereby expanding the base for these young people, the youth of Africa. In 2050, we will have about 400 million youth in Africa. These youth are assets and we must equip them to enable the continent to compete and to have a continent of Africa that can contribute to world advancement.

How do you focus on your students?

We try to achieve their engagement in decision making and their commitment to help the continent become competitive. By involving the students at IUGB, we have seen the difference that these young people are actually making in life. Students who are graduating locally, students who have transferred overseas and graduated, students who have seen both sides, are teaming up in helping develop our communities. We have graduates who have started NGOs and movement for Africa’s transformation.

What are your major challenges? What do you want to achieve? Are you looking for help or partnerships?

Our main challenge today is how we can find scholarship money for students who are very smart and from need based families. We have seen a lot of students from rural areas and our female students that are very bright. We want to give access to these students whose parents do not have the resources. The system that we are promoting here in Côte d’Ivoire, a French speaking country, is a tuition-based institution. That means that parents or students have to contribute to their training and there are some families here that cannot afford it, although their children are very smart. Seeking US accreditation, you cannot deny a student who qualifies for admission, even though their parents do not have the resources. So, we are doing our best to seek financial aid or scholarship for these kinds of students. Of course, it is competitive. The students have to apply and be given that aid.

What is your vision in the medium term of two to three years’ time? Being in in charge of this American style university here in Africa, what would you like to have achieved by 2021?

We would like to see more female students in STEM, meaning the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. That is an area that the president of the university has determined as a priority. We are putting a lot of resources towards supporting this strategic orientation. The second thing is for our students to really support their younger sisters and brothers in the system and trying to help them to improve their educational standards. To us, a student having the baccalaureate or passing the baccalaureate is not an end, it is a beginning. We want to raise the bar very high. We want the educational system in Côte d’Ivoire to be raised because we want to produce competitive students for the global economy. This is what we want to accomplish by 2020.

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