Sahel countries align education with economic needs

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are working to align their higher education systems with the needs of their economies. This effort includes revising university training programs to match local and national development goals, as well as enhancing scientific research and innovation.

Conference in Ouagadougou sets new goals

The second Conference of the heads of higher education and research institutions of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on October 13 and 14. The event focused on improving the coherence of higher education systems across the three countries and promoting student and researcher mobility.

Cooperation agreement signed

At the conference, the ministers of higher education from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger signed a cooperation agreement to harmonize training programs. The agreement includes mechanisms for aligning quality standards and jointly promoting research, inventions, and innovations.

Local realities emphasized in education

Burkina Faso’s minister of Higher Education, Adjima Thiombiano, emphasized the importance of aligning institutions with local realities. He stated that higher education and research should reflect the needs of the population so that citizens of the AES can identify with the themes addressed in these institutions.

Earlier efforts in Bamako

The work in Ouagadougou follows earlier discussions in Bamako in June 2025, where officials from the three countries explored ways to pool resources and identify centers of excellence. These efforts aim to strengthen research and education capacities in the region.

Curriculum revisions underway

In Burkina Faso, revisions to bachelor's and master's programs began in May 2026. These revisions involve representatives from the employment sector, economy, and technical fields, alongside academics. The new models are set to be implemented starting with the academic year 2026-2027.

Focus on strategic sectors

The cooperation also targets strategic sectors such as mining and oil, as well as the valorization of scientific results. However, the final communiqué does not specify the budget, timeline, or monitoring indicators for these initiatives.

Research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa

According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, sub-Saharan Africa has significantly fewer researchers and lower research and development spending compared to the global average. In 2023, the region had 88 full-time equivalent researchers per million inhabitants, compared to 1,486 worldwide.