How a Training Center and Solar Power Are Changing Lives in Rural Côte d’Ivoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, Posodev and the Fondation Nexans have joined forces to promote learning and women’s entrepreneurship in the commune of Katiola. Their goal: to stimulate economic development through women-led entrepreneurship and help open up the commune.

Katiola, the capital of the Hambol region in the heart of Côte d’Ivoire. In this small town, residents are concerned. Increasingly, young women are dropping out of school, sometimes at a very young age—barely in middle school—sacrificing their future. The reasons are numerous: early pregnancies and marriages, pressure to carry out household and agricultural tasks, the weight of tradition, and the cost of education. These young girls often find themselves marginalized and vulnerable, facing many dangers: prostitution, drug abuse.

It is in this context, and with the support of local residents, that the association POSODEV (Ponotio Solidarité et Développement) and its Ivorian partner AKADESO (Association Katio Développement et Solidarité) decided to build a training center for these young women who have dropped out of school. This is how the Maison d’animation et d’appui à l’autonomisation des Katiolaises – M3AK – was created.

A center electrified with the support of the Fondation Nexans

The importance of electricity for improving learning conditions is no longer in question. To further enhance the center’s results, in 2024 Posodev sought the support of the Nexans Foundation to help electrify the M3AK and seven households in Katiola.

This complementary initiative enables these families to implement income-generating activities (IGA), which contribute in particular to children’s schooling and their learning even outside school.

“Everything starts with awareness-raising carried out by POSODEV and AKADESO within the local population. This strengthened our partnership with local authorities and allowed us to connect with more than 1,500 people,” explains Nelly PANYA, Secretary General of POSODEV. A total of nine meetings were organized starting in summer 2024.

The electrification of the targeted buildings was carried out over the summers of 2024 and 2025:

• A first phase dedicated to the M3AK
• A second focused on the seven concerned households

This major initiative ensures that the training center and the seven households are powered by renewable solar energy, in line with environmental preservation, continues Nelly PANYA. This was done with an emphasis on energy efficiency. The energy allows all equipment and devices needed for the smooth running of the training sessions to function properly, ensuring learners have good conditions for study. It also improves the living conditions of the families in difficulty residing in the seven households.

Fifty-six people directly benefit from the installation of electricity in these seven homes.

Today, the center and the households enjoy reliable and functional electricity. In addition, the electrification project contributed to training 19 volunteers in equipment maintenance to ensure autonomy in the event of breakdowns or malfunctions.

Strengthened learning conditions at the M3AK

Everything has changed in Katiola. Thanks to electricity, the center now benefits from better-quality teaching materials and equipment, made usable by the newly available energy.

To date, M3AK has:

For the director of the M3AK Center, Laeticia GODON, this is a major success:
“The Maison d’Animation et d’Appui à l’Autonomisation des Katiolaises (M3AK) is a space dedicated to training, empowerment, and the emancipation of out-of-school young girls in the commune of Katiola. Our mission goes far beyond the simple transmission of skills: at M3AK, we don’t just train hands; we nurture talents, dreams, and ambitions. Every day, these young girls take on the challenge of learning with courage and determination. Here, each one has a new chance to succeed. It’s a fresh start, a rebirth, a step towards autonomy, confidence, and a future built by oneself.”

For young women who benefited from the project, like Awa Touré, 19, M3AK has changed their lives:

A very positive outcome for POSODEV and the Fondation Nexans

At the end of this project, the results are a source of pride for the POSODEV teams, as confirmed by Edwige Mafanta TRAORE, President of POSODEV:
“This project has been a wonderful human experience. Coordination between our teams and those of AKADESO, along with authorities and the local population, have been key factors in the project’s success. Today, the beneficiaries’ full ownership of the project is a concrete and visible reality on the ground.”

From the Nexans side, Kisselmina Koné, Product Manager and project sponsor, adds:
“Together, Posodev and the Nexans Foundation show that lighting a bulb also means illuminating talent and creating sustainable opportunities. The Fondation is convinced that supporting women is an investment in the future. In Katiola, this initiative is a true spark of progress for all of Côte d’Ivoire.”