The Girls’ Education and Women’s Literacy Project is being implemented by the Chad government with support from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Approved in 2020 for five years, the project received an $11.26 million grant from AfDB’s Transition Support Facility. The Chad government provided a non-monetary contribution estimated at $713 000.
The project includes the refurbishment and expansion of the Amriguébé school complex in N’Djamena, which houses the Bilingual Girls’ Secondary School and Arabic Girls’ Secondary School.
A new girls’ secondary school is also being built in Massakory, Hadjer-Lamis province.
The schools include modern classrooms, science and information technology laboratories, digital equipment, libraries, first-aid rooms, accessible toilets, drinking water and solar power systems.
In Amriguébé, the upgraded infrastructure is expected to provide a safer and more inclusive learning environment while strengthening scientific, technical and digital education. “We are looking forward to studying in modern laboratories and well-equipped computer rooms. These investments give us greater confidence in our future,” Amriguébé Bilingual Girls’ School Year Two Pupil Halimé Haroun Hassaballah said.
School Headteacher Youssouf Malloum Malla said the new facilities would improve learning conditions and support the development of scientific, digital and technical skills. The project also plans to provide school kits and scholarships to vulnerable pupils.
Counselling centres will offer teenage girls confidential guidance and support, including assistance concerning gender-based violence. Awareness campaigns are mobilising families, teachers, communities and local authorities to support girls’ education and protection.
Associations of mothers who work as educators are receiving support in leadership, governance and income-generating activities. The assistance is intended to strengthen efforts to prevent school dropouts and keep girls in school. “Investing in girls’ education means investing in Chad’s sustainable development. Every modernised school represents an additional opportunity for future generations,” Project National Coordinator Moussa Bedei Ali said.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
