Health & Education

Côte d’Ivoire has made a concerted effort in recent years to improve access to health care, rehabilitate and build facilities, and develop technical platforms aligned with international standards. There remains room for improvement in terms of quality, especially as universal health coverage is rolled out. Even so, efforts to expand access have been key to addressing the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic that emerged in early 2020. Efforts to boost access to education have had positive results at the primary level, where attendance surged. Despite investment aimed at recruiting teachers and building facilities, the situation continues to be more challenging at the higher levels. Access to secondary education remains limited and classes in public high schools overcrowded. While demo-graphics place significant pressure on the system and will necessitate more investment in all levels, plans to build more public universities, develop new trainings and reform vocational education bode well for the future. This chapter contains an interview with Eugène Aka-Aouélé, Minister of Health.