A joint press conference was held on November 12, 2026, at the Palm Club in Cocody, Côte d'Ivoire, to address the crisis surrounding the SOPHIA-MIDD program. Touré Ahmed Bouah, CEO of SOPHIA S.A., and Paul Gnogbo, Secretary-General of the Mouvement des Instituteurs pour la Défense de leurs Droits (MIDD), discussed the difficulties that led to the program's halt. The program aimed to help 30,000 teachers access property but only recorded 2,500 registrations, about 8% of the initial target.
According to Touré Ahmed Bouah, the low participation rate was a significant economic challenge, making it difficult to finance studies, infrastructure, and construction. He also cited leadership divergences within the partnership with the MIDD, departures of key personnel, and the lack of concrete public support as contributing factors. The initial protocol signed between the parties included a joint approach to solicit state support, but this did not materialize.
Touré Ahmed Bouah highlighted the value of the land mobilized by SOPHIA, estimated at 24 billion FCFA, compared to the 2.5 billion FCFA in subscriber payments. He proposed a full refund of the amounts paid by subscribers, which would address the teachers' expectations. However, this proposal requires further details, including establishing individual subscriber financial situations, determining due amounts, and identifying available resources.
Paul Gnogbo, representing the MIDD, discussed the circumstances leading to the program's halt, citing contractual denunciation possibilities when conditions are no longer met. He mentioned that subscribers initiated judicial procedures, while the promoter faced various approaches and solicitations from different institutions. Gnogbo lamented the tensions surrounding the project, which complicated its realization.
The program's failure has left subscribers in a state of uncertainty, with many awaiting refunds for several years. Gnogbo invited affected teachers to orient themselves towards the dispositions provided in the partnership denunciation framework and to engage necessary steps to assert their rights. The priority now is for subscribers to know the amount they will recover and the conditions for the refund.
Despite the explanations provided by Touré Ahmed Bouah and Paul Gnogbo, several questions remain unanswered, including refund deadlines, available financial resources, and guarantees for executing announced commitments. Subscribers are now awaiting concrete actions, with a focus on individualized account statements and an independent control to verify payments and restitutions.
The halt of the SOPHIA-MIDD program has significant implications for the teachers who had subscribed, many of whom had been waiting for years to acquire housing. The program's failure has also raised concerns about the management of funds and the role of the state in supporting such initiatives. As the situation unfolds, stakeholders will be watching closely for developments.
Key points
- The SOPHIA-MIDD program in Côte d'Ivoire has stalled due to low participation and leadership divergences.
- The program's halt has left 2,500 subscribers with 3 billion FCFA in limbo.
- A full refund of subscriber payments has been proposed, but details remain to be finalized.
