The President of the International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB), Saliou Touré, accompanied by his close aides, and senior politicians and officials from Grand-Bassam, presented the "Donald Kaberuka Auditorium" in honour of the outgoing African Development Bank President.
The event took place during a courtesy visit by Kaberuka to IUGB on June 18, 2015, located in Grand-Bassam, a town some 30 kilometres to the south of Abidjan, when he took the opportunity to visit the campus and meet with officials and students.
Costing some 50 million CFA francs in total (approximately US $84,000), the "Donald Kaberuka Auditorium" is a two-storey soundproofed and air-conditioned space with capacity for approximately 200 persons. Presenting the new building, Saliou Touré said, "We baptise this room in the name of President Kaberuka, to recognize the AfDB's development actions, in particular to promote the education of girls in the sciences, in Africa in general and in Côte d'Ivoire in particular.
"This building named after Kaberuka is the fruit of a contribution by the AfDB to the improvement of higher education in Côte d'Ivoire, and in particular its role in facilitating access by girls to scientific education," continued Professor Touré.
Speaking on behalf of the AfDB officials present, Etienne Porgo, Lead Education Officer, recalled the importance of education and higher education in the Bank's Strategy. He explained that Kaberuka had made this sector one of his priorities for development actions, saying, "The AfDB feels honoured and proud to be associated with this prestigious university through the auditorium that bears the name of its President."
IUGB was founded on May 16, 2007 and offers Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral programmes in the English language to students meeting the academic requirements to undergo higher education in the United States. It is a world-class, non-profit, American institution offering courses in key areas related to growth and development in Africa. Its values comprise ethics, equality of opportunity, gender equality, life-long learning, research and service activities to produce innovative, socially responsible leaders.
The current IUGB site occupies an area of 9,000 m2 with two academic blocks containing 20 classrooms for 24 students, two university residences with 196 single rooms, a library and a restaurant. The university currently has approximately 400 students from several African countries. This inspired Kaberuka to say, "We are keen to give our support to IUGB, which is a centre of excellence that brings hope to a continent."
