Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and Côte d’Ivoire’s National Polytechnic Institute Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB) have launched a new school in Yamoussoukro to equip young African professionals with the technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to modernize agriculture. The Digital Farming School (DFS), inaugurated on October 31 with support from OCP Africa and contributions from LEET Initiative, will welcome its first cohort of 50 students on November 9.
The school received approximately 4,000 applications during its recruitment campaign for the two-year program that responds to a growing need for professionals who can connect agricultural expertise with digital technology. Rather than focus solely on theory, the school will train students to identify practical challenges on farms and develop technological solutions that respond to local conditions.
Côte d’Ivoire’s higher education, agriculture, and digital transition ministers attended the inauguration. The ceremony was presided over by Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Adama Diawara, with Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production Minister Bruno Nabagné Koné and Digital Transition and Technological Innovation Minister Djibril Ouattara as co-patrons.
The initiative comes at a time when African agriculture faces pressure to improve productivity, use natural resources more efficiently, and generate greater economic value from agricultural production. Meeting these challenges requires more than new equipment: farmers and agricultural businesses also need people who understand both the realities of the field and the technologies that can improve farm management.
UM6P President Hicham El Habti said Africa must invest in knowledge and technical expertise to make better use of its agricultural potential. He noted that the continent holds nearly 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land and argued that the ability to turn this resource into economic value depends on stronger local capabilities.
A central feature of the DFS is its 170-hectare experimental farm, where students will test their ideas against real agricultural conditions. The school’s practical approach will allow them to move beyond classroom exercises and assess whether their solutions can address problems faced by farmers. Projects will cover several areas of digital agriculture, including drone-assisted field mapping, soil analysis, water management, and digital monitoring of farmland.
The school reflects a model of cooperation that links academic institutions and industry with national development priorities. For INP-HB Director General Moussa Abdoul Kader Diaby, the school demonstrates the importance of cooperation between institutions with complementary expertise. The DFS grew out of cooperation established in 2023 between the Ivorian state and OCP Group, strengthening academic and scientific ties between UM6P and INP-HB.
Key points
- The Digital Farming School received approximately 4,000 applications for its first 50 places.
- The school’s program will train students to develop digital solutions for agriculture and introduce them to entrepreneurship and incubation support.
- The initiative aims to address the challenges facing African agriculture, including improving productivity and generating greater economic value from agricultural production.
