On July 21 and 22, 2026, the Laboratoire pour l’Éducation (Ed Lab) in Côte d’Ivoire held the second edition of the Open Days for the Use of Research and Innovation in Education (Journées Ouvertes pour l’Utilisation de la Recherche et de l’Innovation en Éducation, JOURIE) in Abidjan. The Ed Lab is a partnership between Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Côte d’Ivoire and the Directorate of Studies, Strategies, Planning, and Statistics (DESPS) of the Ministry of National Education, Literacy, and Technical Education (MENAET), supported by the Jacobs Foundation. This year’s edition of JOURIE was held under the theme “Transforming education through digital technology: sustainable solutions for quality schools.”

Representing the Minister of National Education, Literacy, and Technical Education, Mr. Kouadio Kouman, Technical Adviser, noted that the 2026 edition aimed to explore the contributions of digital technology to the transformation of the Ivorian education system by examining its impact, the available tools, the role of the various stakeholders, and the systemic issues involved.

Over two days, the JOURIE combined high-level panels, presentations of educational innovations, and scientific sessions. During the opening ceremony, speaking on behalf of IPA, the technical partner of the MENAET, Dr. Maud Akissi Amon-Tanoh, Country Director for Francophone West Africa, congratulated the Ministry for its commitment to evidence-based education governance and emphasized that while digital technologies offer significant opportunities to strengthen education systems, their impact depends on how they are implemented and integrated into teaching and learning. IPA delivered a keynote on global evidence on the role of digital technology in transforming education, presented by Abdoul-Aziz Adama, Policy Manager and IPA's lead for the Ed Lab. He also moderated a high-level panel on educational reforms, curricular innovations, and the place of digital tools in pedagogical practice.

Ministry directorates presented national innovations, including virtual classrooms, distance and hybrid learning, and platforms for individualized student monitoring. On the second day, researchers presented studies on factors contributing to school dropout inclusion, equity, and accessibility, and on pedagogical practices and the transformation of learning, with contributions from partners including the World Bank and TaRL Africa. A second high-level panel examined how research results can inform education policy.

The event also recognized contributions to research and innovation. IPA received an award from the DESPS, the directorate that hosts the Ed Lab, to commend the strong partnership between the two institutions and IPA’s support for strengthening the use of evidence to improve education policies through the Lab.

The JOURIE 2026 was featured in national television news broadcasts on both days of the event. The event reaffirmed the growing momentum behind evidence-informed education policymaking in Côte d'Ivoire and the strong partnership between MENAET and IPA through the Ed Lab.

Photo credits: © 2026 BM-CI / Mr. Amon Gafar & Mr. Amani Patrick