It is a unique Engineering College of its kind

It is a unique Engineering College of its kind. Able to lie all the prejudices about Africa: lack of chronic, System... In the heart of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the international Institute of water and the environment (2iE) engineering means be "an institution of reference" for the continent.

"We train engineers adapted to the realities on the ground and the needs of the business," says General Manager, Paul Giniès, a French as talkative as determined. To do this, the 2iE works following the highest international standards. He recruits his teachers on the world market, even if he barely provide them the same wages as elsewhere. It builds on applied research: its doctoral school already has 24 PhD. And it multiplies the bilingual, French and English lessons.

To add to this a judicious positioning on three bearing areas for Africa: water, energy and the environment. On these subjects, the school maintains close links with industry. Companies, early may, days attracted some 90 firms, many of the hexagon (Total, Bolloré, Veolia and Suez Environment...) come proposing internships and jobs. Graduates are almost sure to find a job. Therefore, the degree of the 2iE is recognized since year last by the Commission of the French engineers - a guarantee of quality titles.

Of the public to the private sector

Above all, the 2iE offers its students a framework of studies supporting the comparison with a number of Western institutions: a campus downtown, next to the University, with sports field and student rooms, a second site of 110 hectares in Kamboinsé, about 20 kilometres from the capital, with residencies and research labs. Side of communication tools, nothing to fault: high speed Internet and Wi - Fi everywhere, virtual library, video conferencing, distance learning platform... Each student has even a laptop computer, offered by the France.

Created 40 years ago, in the aftermath of independence, at the initiative of some 15 African States and on the basis of public funding, the 2iE changed its model in 2005, to become a private school, in Burkina Faso law, which however has the support of the World Bank and the French Development Agency. Today, the 2iE attracts students from throughout Africa in the West (Gabon, Mali, Cameroon, Togo...), ready to pay tuition fees but important for the continent: of 2.130 to 3.800 euros per year. "We are not in a system of subsidies," said Paul Giniès. Here, people are willing to make sacrifices to quality training. And we're competitive: we train engineers for three to four times cheaper than in France.

Is another strong point of the school: the motivation of students. "They are very creative and enterprising, welcomed Jacqueline Guibal, behind methodology and time management seminars. They dream of a career that feeds, but also to do honour to their family and participates in the development of the region.

Enthusiasm among teachers. "What motivates me, this is neither the money nor the quality of life, for example indicates Azoumah Yao, a Togolese of thirty-three years, holder of a PhD in energy engineering. I want to contribute to the development of Africa. There is here a human potential and natural resources in abundance.

Of course, everything is not perfect at the 2iE. The premises are not as comfortable as in Europe, students are sometimes the narrow in some amphis. And most importantly, the 2iE still suffers from a lack of visibility out of Africa. But this does not preclude display his ambitions and multiply projects. In the program, doubling of the population within two years, creating an MBA Entrepreneurship and eco-innovation or launch of cursus alternating