The story of 2iE is that of a commitment to young people.

Originally, a collective political commitment. That of fourteen West and Central African states determined to endow their new government structures, resulting from independence, with executives trained on their own continent.

In 37 years, from 1968 to 2006, the two founding schools, EIER - School of Engineers of Rural Equipment and ETSHER - School of Technicians of Hydraulics and Rural Equipment, trained more than 3000 engineers and senior technicians in the fields of hydraulic engineering and rural engineering.

2iE's founding commitment is that of the professional integration of young graduates, to meet the new needs of African economies.

This necessary evolution is in response to the paradigm shift that is then observed. Long associated with the guarantee of employment, the public service is no longer able to offer a sufficient number of job offers, compared to the growing number of graduates. Higher education graduates find it very difficult to find a job corresponding to their qualifications. At the same time, companies are struggling to find the job skills they need.

Faced with this observation, 2iE has been able to create partnerships with other structures: companies, universities and institutions. By demonstrating its ability to adapt to rapid changes in the African socio-economic context, 2iE has established itself as a benchmark in higher education and research and today brings together students, teachers, researchers and entrepreneurs from four continents, into a network of skills invested in building the Africa of tomorrow.

The Institute thus projects itself into the near future: by strengthening the innovation capacities and entrepreneurship of students and by carrying out research activities that integrate current socio-economic realities. 2iE trains the responsible decision-makers of tomorrow and contributes to the sustainable development of the continent.