The CMA CGM and Magic System Foundations join forces to build a school in Ivory Coast

Two Foundations committed to increasing access to education on the African continent by creating a brand-new elementary school in Port-Bouët set to welcome 200 children in fall 2022

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, and Salif Traoré aka A’Salfo, President of the Magic System Foundation, have today signed a partnership to build an elementary school in Ivory Coast.

A common commitment to education 

The CMA CGM Foundation has made education for all its priority. It works to encourage educational success all around the world, in partnership with recognized non-profit organizations. In 2021, on behalf of UNICEF, it shipped 3.5 million school textbooks to Chad in 72 40-foot containers through its Containers of Hope initiative.

Aware that a lack of school facilities is a major obstacle to accessing education, the CMA CGM Foundation has chosen to work with the Magic System Foundation, which has initiated an ambitious program of building elementary schools in Ivory Coast. The two Foundations see this collaboration as an opportunity to continue and step up their commitment to education.

The Magic System Foundation is a non-profit organization, recognized as being of public utility, which works for the well-being of the population through social actions in the fields of education, health, environment, and culture. In its commitment that every child has access to quality education from an early age, it is committed to giving hope to the community, and especially to children, by building schools (seven have already been built) and health centers in Ivory Coast.

An ambitious project that will open in September 2022

The CMA CGM Foundation and the Magic System Foundation are combining their skills to build an elementary school that will welcome around 200 children aged 5 to 11.

The school will be built in the village of Ellokro, in the Port-Bouët district of Abidjan, and will offer high-quality educational facilities that the village currently lacks.

It will have total floorspace of 560m², will be composed of six classrooms and a canteen, along with an area built from four converted shipping containers, as part of a circular economy approach. Those containers will house the school’s library, staff room, office, and entrance. 

When the works are completed, the school will be handed over to Ivory Coast’s Department of Education, which will be the owner of the school and will handle its day-to-day management.

Soprano, a special patron

This school in Ellokro, the first to be built by the partnership, will have singer and composer Soprano as its patron. He will meet the children at the school and discuss his own journey with them. In 2015, the artist created the Soprano Foundation, which focuses on education and healthcare. The Soprano Foundation and the CMA CGM Foundation collaborated for the first time in 2021 as part of the Containers of Hope initiative, through which four containers of humanitarian aid were shipped free of charge from France to the Comoro Islands.

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, said: “In addition to our shipping emergency aid to countries affected by humanitarian crises, the CMA CGM Foundation is committed to supporting future generations by developing ambitious educational projects. Today, I am very pleased to initiate the construction of the first school in partnership with the Magic System Foundation in Ivory Coast, and I am looking forward to opening it and meeting the children who will be educated there in the near future.”

Salif Traoré, President of the Magic System Foundation, added: “Art is part of development and must contribute to the improvement of people's living conditions. Hence our commitment to basic social services in the health and education sectors. Access to education for all children, regardless of age or location, is essential. This pilot school, as part of our partnership with the CMA CGM Foundation, will ensure a bright future for the children of Ellokro.”