Karim, a taxi driver in Bouaké, is hopeful that the new Center for Transport and Logistics Trades will offer new career opportunities for young people like his son.
Millennium Challenge Account – Côte d’Ivoire
It’s 7:30 A.M. in Bouaké and the city stirs to life—shared taxis and buses honk while the faint scent of last night’s rain still lingers. For Karim, a taxi driver for over a decade, it’s a good omen. After dropping a passenger off at the technical high school, he notices a fenced-off cluster of new buildings rising ahead.
“What’s that big center over there?” he asks.
Karim passes by the site every day, his curiosity growing. It’s the Center for Transport and Logistics Trades in Bouaké—a flagship initiative funded through MCC’s Côte d’Ivoire Compact. Fully equipped with cutting-edge technology, it will soon become one of only a few of its kind in Africa when it opens to students.
What truly makes it stands out is how it was built: through a dedicated consortium with the private sector in the driver’s seat to ensure training meets real employer needs and aligns with international standards. It is a first in Côte d’Ivoire, and key to the sustainability of the national road network that was supported through the compact.
The new Center for Transport and Logistics Trades in Bouaké, funded through MCC’s Côte d’Ivoire Compact.
Millennium Challenge Account – Côte d’Ivoire
A Strategic Sector, A Gateway to Opportunities
Transport and logistics are at the heart of Côte d’Ivoire’s economy, moving people and goods such as cocoa from production zones to the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro to ship across the world. Without efficient logistics systems and skilled professionals, private sector growth is at risk.
Thousands of young Ivorians work in this sector without sufficient training. The new center in Bouaké aims to close that gap. It will offer internationally recognized certifications and diploma-granting programs tailored to real-world conditions, enabling Ivorian youth to access decent, stable jobs. From drivers and warehouse technicians to planners, supply chain managers, and logisticians, the training center will empower youth with viable, in-demand careers.
Safety, Professionalization, and Competitiveness
Professional training isn’t just an individual’s economic boost — it is also a matter of national safety. Skilled drivers, well-maintained vehicles, and smarter logistics planning all contribute to reducing road accidents, streamlining trade, and boosting the country’s competitiveness.
The center will offer modules on responsible driving, logistics flow management, and heavy vehicle maintenance. It will become a hub of excellence, ready to meet the growing demands of a rapidly evolving sector.
The new center is expecting its first cohort in January 2026.
Millennium Challenge Account – Côte d’Ivoire
A U.S.–Ivorian Partnership for Long-Term Impact
Funded by MCC and implemented together with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, the Center for Transport and Logistics Trades embodies a shared vision and reflects a broader dynamic of economic cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire and the United States.
American companies like Cargill, Hershey, and Mars Inc. — deeply involved in the cocoa sector — will indirectly benefit from this skills upgrade. More efficient, safer, and professional transport means better traceability, reduced post-harvest income losses, and greater value for Ivorian products on global markets.
Training that Transforms Lives and Economies
Sunbeams finally break through Bouaké’s morning clouds as Karim resumes his route, his eyes still fixed on the center.
“If my son can learn there,” he says, “he’ll have a real profession.”
Like him, thousands of families see in this center more than a building. They see a promise: of a better future grounded in skills, dignity, and opportunity. The Center for Transport and Logistics Trades in Bouaké represents a Côte d’Ivoire that trains, transforms, and moves forward, in partnership with those who create jobs and shape the economy of tomorrow.