International
14 Jan 2026
Meeting Training Needs and Business Expectations
After Pointe-Noire (Republic of the Congo), Douala (Cameroon), and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) will be Icam’s fourth campus on the African continent. This opening within the Jesuit University of Abidjan (UJA) follows an opportunity study completed in September 2021 and a feasibility study validated last June by Icam’s Board of Directors.
“Côte d’Ivoire is a country with regional dynamism and sustained growth of 6% per year since 2021, more than double the global average,” explains Gilles Vandecaveye, Icam’s Director General. “The objective, with the opening, of this campus is to meet the training needs of young people in West Africa, and to contribute to the development of the economy and businesses, as well as the creation of sustainable jobs locally.”
“In this context of strong growth, our school is eagerly awaited by companies that express the need to recruit generalist engineers,” relates Father Épiphane Kinhoun SJ, Icam Deputy Director General, Africa coordination. “It will meet this strong expectation from the local economic fabric by providing the skills and talents the region needs.”
Progressive Development
The opening of this UJA-Icam campus is planned for the 2026 academic year. It will welcome the Icam International Bachelor program from September 2026, before opening the generalist engineering program in initial training from 2027. The objective is to enable young people from Côte d’Ivoire, but also from French-speaking countries in the West African sub-region—Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Benin—to access recognized programs with promising career prospects. Students from other Icam campuses will also have the opportunity to experience an academic and intercultural experience in Côte d’Ivoire.
In terms of infrastructure, the campus deployment is planned in several stages, with financing partly through fundraising. “We have 1,500 m² to start with on the main UJA campus site, and the objective is to invest, over the next three to four years, in the construction of a building, for an estimated total cost of €2.2 million,” specifies Isidore Tenkeu, Head of Africa Development.
A strengthened commitment to Africa
With this new campus in Abidjan, Icam is strengthening its commitment to the African continent with the mission of training responsible engineers who are open to the world and rooted in local realities. This commitment is also part of the French Council of Investors in Africa (CIAN). Since October 2025, this major network that brings together companies, professional organizations and institutions working for the economic development of the continent has welcomed new members including Icam. This membership thus paves the way for new opportunities for exchanges, partnerships and collaborations. It demonstrates Icam’s willingness to strengthen its ties with the African economic fabric and to actively contribute to the continent’s development.
