UNDP delivers Côte d'Ivoire's first University Innovation and Technology Hub

This center, a collaboration between the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and the Ministry of National Education, Literacy, and Technical Education MENAET, serves as the country's first national digital innovation and manufacturing laboratory. The UniPod provides a technical platform for inventors, innovators, and creators, offering training, prototyping facilities, and an equipped environment for students, young graduates, artisans, project leaders, startups, and research-teachers. The initiative aims for 50% female access and includes rural communities.

Its mission is to support the transition from prototype to enterprise in sectors such as fintech, healthtech, edtech, agritech, greentech, creative industries, and smart cities. Blerta Cela, UNDP Resident Representative in Côte d'Ivoire, emphasized the economic necessity of local transformation to retain value and jobs. The facility features sixteen functional zones across five hubs: mechanical and wood workshops, electronics and robotics, FabLab-type prototyping, agritech and greentech, and shared coworking spaces.

Its equipment meets Fab Academy standards from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, including HAAS CNC machines, 3D printers, a CO2 laser cutter, educational drones, and 3D scanners. The project, costing over 800 million CFA francs, also includes high-spe