Senegal: 6,888 schools to be connected to high-speed internet for the 2026-2027 school year

The Senegalese government plans to connect 6,888 schools and educational institutions to high-speed internet and to cover an additional 2,000 schools with satellite solutions. The announcement was made on September 26, 2026, in Dakar, during an interministerial council dedicated to the preparation of the 2026-2027 school year, reports the daily newspaper Le Soleil.

A digital strategy spanning until 2029

The connection project is part of the 2025-2029 digital strategy of the Ministry of National Education, led by Moustapha Guirassy. According to Le Soleil, 6,547 educational tablets have already been distributed, and 12,385 teachers have been trained and certified in digital technology and artificial intelligence.

A school AI that speaks Wolof and works offline

The most notable feature is the "Allô Gorgui" artificial intelligence platform, which offers academic support in French and Wolof and remains accessible without an internet connection, specifies Le Soleil. This choice is far from trivial: in a country where network coverage remains uneven between Dakar and the interior regions, a tool that does not require a permanent connection changes the actual reach of the service. Designing an educational AI in an African language, rather than importing a product designed elsewhere, follows the same logic.

Bilingualism extended to nearly 2,000 schools

The harmonized model of bilingual education, known by the acronym Mohebs, is being deployed in 1,958 schools, according to the same source. Teaching in national languages during early learning is the subject of growing consensus among African education researchers, after decades of schooling exclusively in the language inherited from colonization.

Digital technology, but also concrete

The report presented to the interministerial council notes that 14 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 6 high schools have been built, along with 2 scientific and technological blocks, 14 rehabilitated institutions, 1,305 classrooms, 220 administrative blocks, 250 hygiene blocks, and 44,000 linear meters of boundary walls. Furthermore, 1,127 daaras, or Quranic schools, have received support.

Neither the overall budget for the connection operation nor its precise schedule has been communicated, according to Le Soleil. It is on these two points that the gap between the announcement and the classroom will be measured.