The National Federation of Professional Organizations of Rural Youth of Côte d’Ivoire (FENOPJERCI) will begin a nationwide self-identification operation on September 10, 2026, in Toumodi.
The initiative aims to build a reliable database of rural youth and prepare for the restructuring of local organizations and the renewal of the federation’s governing bodies.
Michel Oulaï, national president of FENOPJERCI, announced the plan on Monday, August 31, 2026, in Abidjan during a press briefing at the conference room of the National Agency for Rural Development Support (ANADER).
Oulaï described the operation as the first step in implementing an “ecosystem for the empowerment and stabilization of rural youth in Côte d’Ivoire.” He said the effort would help better understand the numbers of young people living in rural areas, make available data more reliable, and identify their needs.
“We no longer want to be counted in percentages, but in real and verifiable numbers,” he declared, stressing the importance of precise data to improve how this segment of the population is considered in development policies and programs.
The first phase will rely on a digital application that allows young people with an Android phone to register themselves and obtain a unique identification code.
This will be complemented by a proximity operation carried out by regional and departmental coordinators equipped with biometric devices. These teams will also participate in the mapping and addressing of FENOPJERCI’s local offices.
Beyond the structuring of the federation, the identification is expected to help better orient initiatives in favor of rural youth, particularly in agricultural production, microfinance, insurance, banking services, and housing.
According to Oulaï, a clearer picture of the realities and needs of rural youth should help combat rural exodus and strengthen their participation in the country’s economic and social development.
At the end of the identification operation, FENOPJERCI plans to renew its governing structures in various localities, in line with its statutes and its new electoral code.
This process should lead to an ordinary elective National Congress, envisaged for the second half of December 2026 or, failing that, in the first quarter of 2027.
Created in 1994 under the name National Federation of Associations and Unions of Rural Youth of Côte d’Ivoire (FENAUJERCI), before becoming FENOPJERCI in 2001, the federation claims to have a network established in the villages and hamlets of the country.
It works for the supervision and empowerment of rural youth and intends to contribute in particular to strengthening Côte d’Ivoire’s food sovereignty.
Source: aip.ci