• IHS Côte d’Ivoire and NABU Global aim to improve reading skills for 100,000 children.

• The project includes 20 locally adapted titles, digital campaigns, and teacher training.

• It targets rural and disadvantaged areas to reduce school dropout and boost inclusion.

IHS Côte d’Ivoire, a subsidiary of IHS Towers, and NABU Global Inc., an NGO fighting the global literacy crisis, announced on Friday, September 5, their plan to work together to improve reading skills for 100,000 children.

The project will print 1,000 copies each of 20 books adapted to local cultural and linguistic contexts, launch a nationwide digital campaign, and involve the Ministry of Education to reach more than 30 schools. Teachers will receive training, and girls will be encouraged to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

If finalized, the partnership could improve access to reading and basic skills, particularly in rural and underserved areas, while giving young people tools to take part in a changing African labor market.

According to 2023 data from the Global Partnership for Education, only 18.5% of Ivorian children attend preschool before primary school, with 73.6% in urban areas and 26.4% in rural areas. These figures highlight the need for private investment to complement public efforts and curb school dropout.

“This initiative is fully in line with our values and our commitment to sustainable development and education. We believe literacy is the foundation of opportunity,” said Fatim Cissé, CEO of IHS Côte d’Ivoire.

The initiative follows other proven programs in Africa. In Morocco, the Teaching at the Right Level (TARL) method, adopted in 2022, improved the performance of 1.3 million students in three years. In Madagascar, the “Diary Nofy” program launched in 2019 by Teach For Madagascar distributed 60,000 books to rural primary schools, strengthening functional literacy.

These examples show that targeted public-private partnerships can deliver concrete results in education and help prepare young people to actively participate in local and regional labor markets.