The ceremony, which took place on the premises of the Children Of Africa School Group of Excellence in Abobo, witnessed the presence of Mrs Maïmouna Koné, wife of the Vice-President of the Republic, Mrs Florence Achi, wife of the Prime Minister, Mrs Fatimata Bictogo, wife of the President of the National Assembly, Mrs Patricia Ahoussou-Kouadio, wife of the President of the Senate, Government Ministers, wives of Ambassadors accredited to Côte d’Ivoire and several other personalities.

For this 3rd edition, a total of 70 students and 3 teachers were rewarded for their outstanding results.  Seven (07) prizes were awarded to the best students and teachers of the Children Of Africa School Group in Abobo. They include the Hamed Bakayoko prize, the Children Of Africa Foundation prize, the SIPPI prize, the Abobo town hall prize, the Dominique Ouattara prize, the Alassane Ouattara excellence prize and the Children Of Africa Foundation prize for the best teachers of the year. For the 2022-2023 academic year, the Alassane Ouattara Excellence Prize, which rewards the best student at the Children Of Africa d’Abobo Groupe Scolaire d’Excellence, was won by young Traoré Junior, with an average grade of 9.87 out of 10.  The winning students received money and a kit of gifts and books.  The First Lady also gave 7,500,000 F CFA to the students, teachers and other guests. In the face of such generosity, the teachers and pupils also offered gifts to Ms Dominique Ouattara.

Taking the floor, Ms Dominique Ouattara, President of the Children Of Africa Foundation, encouraged the pupils of the Children Of Africa School Group in Abobo to develop the virtue of excellence in order to be among the best in the country. She also encouraged her godchildren to follow the example of Ms Kamara Sarah Fatim Nolivée, who received the Excellence Prize at the Presidential Palace in the presence of the President of the Republic, as the best schoolchildren in Côte d’Ivoire to enter 6th grade. “Last year, I was very moved to see that Kamara Sarah Fatim Nolivée, the best student in Côte d’Ivoire  had come from our school. She received the Excellence Prize at the Presidential Palace in the presence of the President of the Republic, my dear husband, President Alassane Ouattara. I encourage all our children to follow this path, so that tomorrow’s elite will come from our schools of excellence”, she encouraged. Earlier, the wife of the Head of State recalled that education is one of the pillars of Children Of Africa. As such, the President of Children Of Africa listed the major achievements in this sector. Ms Dominique Ouattara recalled the construction of the Dominique Ouattara highschool in 2000, the distribution of thousands of school kits to schoolchildren throughout the country, the creation of computer rooms, providing euipement for school canteens, and the initiation of schoolchildren to reading through the Children Of Africa Bookmobiles which travel throughout the country. With regard to the specific case of the Children Of Africa Excellence School Group in Abobo, Ms Dominique Ouattara said that the objective behind its creation was to offer the population a school that stands out both for its architecture and for the excellence of the education it provides. According to her, all children have the right to a quality education, whatever their living conditions. “In 2018, we felt it was essential to offer our children in the commune of Abobo, one of the most densely populated communes in the District of Abidjan, a school infrastructure equipped with all the facilities and comfort “, she revealed. She added: “The objective was to offer the population a school that stands out both for its architecture and for the excellence of the education it provides. For my part, I’ve always believed that all children, whatever their social status, are entitled to the best possible education, in a pleasant and appropriate environment.  And this is what we have succeeded in offering our children in the commune of Abobo, thanks to the generosity of our donors and to the great joy of our children and their parents”.

Ms Mariatou Koné, Minister of National Education and Literacy, recalled that the vision of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister for education is centered on equality, inclusion and equity. According to her, all children in Côte d’Ivoire must benefit from the same conditions and the same quality of education. She also thanked the wife of the Head of State, whohas been working alongside the government to offer Côte d’Ivoire a quality school with the hallmark of excellence.

The Minister of State, Kandia Kamissoko Camara, mayor of the commune of Abobo, expressed her infinite gratitude to Ms Dominique Ouattara for having endowed her commune with this school facility.

Ms Kacou Bi Gisèle, Headmistress of Primary School B at the Children Of Africa Excellence School Group, gave an update on the school’s results since its opening. According to Gisèle, the school has become one of the country’s leading schools of excellence.

Ms Diarra Mariam, students’President at the Children Of Africa School Group of Excellence, thanked the wife of the Head of State for enabling them to attend this school of excellence. On behalf of all the students, she promised that they would always be among the best in the country.

A cocktail was offered to the officials, the parents, the teachers and the students.