- UVCI and the Centre de Recherches Océanologiques signed a cooperation agreement to drive scientific collaboration.
- Côte d’Ivoire’s edtech sector sees growing demand amid infrastructure, training and digital inclusion challenges.
UVCI expands digital science with ocean research partnership
The Université Virtuelle de Côte d’Ivoire (UVCI) has signed a significant cooperation agreement with the Centre de Recherches Océanologiques (CRO) to promote scientific and academic collaboration. This partnership aims to strengthen both institutions’ research capabilities through joint activities, including digital platform development, online training programmes, and data sharing. The CRO, a public institute under Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, specialises in marine and coastal studies and will benefit from UVCI’s expertise in digital education.
This collaboration aligns with UVCI’s strategic mission to broaden access to higher education through technology-driven solutions. Since its inception, UVCI has positioned itself as a leader in digital learning, serving thousands of Ivorian students remotely. The CRO-UVCI initiative will enhance interdisciplinary training and modernise research practices by integrating virtual tools with traditional fieldwork, helping bridge the gap between digital and environmental sciences.
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Challenges and innovation in Côte d’Ivoire’s edtech sector
Despite its growing impact, UVCI and the broader digital education sector face considerable challenges. Key issues include limited internet access in rural areas, insufficient training in digital tools for educators, and funding gaps for technology infrastructure. UVCI continues to tackle these obstacles through public-private partnerships and capacity-building programmes aimed at improving digital literacy and content delivery. The government’s push to digitalise education, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has also given rise to initiatives targeting inclusion and equity in access to digital learning.
UVCI has also made notable advances in recent years. Its online platform now offers a wide range of e-learning modules, virtual labs, and cloud-based tools, allowing students to simulate scientific experiments remotely. Moreover, the university’s emphasis on open educational resources supports broader access to academic materials across West Africa. By embedding research partnerships into its digital framework, UVCI is helping to shape a more connected, resilient, and research-driven future for higher education in Côte d’Ivoire.
