L’X welcomes a ministerial delegation of Ivory Coast

During their official visit to France, Adama Diawara, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Ivory Coast, and his delegation met with Eric Labaye, President of École Polytechnique and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, to discuss important projects in the field of higher education in Ivory Coast.

The ministerial delegation was welcomed by Éric Labaye, Elisabeth Crépon, Director of ENSTA and Vice-President of International Affairs at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Gaëlle Le Goff, Director of International Affairs at l'X, Bernard Drévillon, Emeritus Research Director and Dean of the specialized Master's degree in New Energies (ETRE), Eric Moulines, Professor in Applied Mathematics and holder of the chair in Data Science, and Frank Pacard, President of Executive Education at l'X.

The reinforcement of the preparatory classes in Ivory Coast, for which students can register to prepare for the entrance exam for the Grandes Écoles, was one of the major topics discussed during the meeting. In partnership with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, École Polytechnique contributes to the organization of cross-exchanges of teachers from the prestigious Lycée and professors who teach in the preparatory classes in Ivory Coast, allowing the latter to benefit from the experience and expertise of their counterparts.

Furthermore, students enrolled in the Ingénieur Polytechnicien program regularly opt to do their six months mandatory internship (military or civil training) during their first year of studies as academic tutors in Ivory Coast and accompany students in local preparatory classes.

During their meeting, the ministerial delegation and the representatives of École Polytechnique's management also spoke about the programs the School runs in Ivory Coast in collaboration with INP-HB: the Data Science Institute and the Specialized Master's program in "Renewable Energy: Technology and Entrepreneurship" (ETRE), which has been jointly developed with the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB) and inaugurated in October 2021.

The Minister and the other delegates also seized the opportunity to interact with several Ivorian students who passed the entrance exam at l'X after training in a preparatory class in Ivory Coast and are currently studying in the Ingénieur Polytechnicien program.

Subsequently, the visit of the applied optics laboratory and the new atmospheric observatory (SIRTA) allowed the delegation to observe the research environment of the campus.