Mariama Hamani
When a neighbouring state begins to adopt an orientation already tested elsewhere, comparison becomes unavoidable. This is precisely the pattern now emerging between Benin and Burkina Faso in the promotion of scientific excellence among young girls — and its consequences are already being felt far beyond the classroom.
For several years, Benin has placed academic and scientific excellence at the heart of its education policy. In 2026, the country continued this momentum with the General Competition in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, held in Djougou and combined with an excellence camp for pupils in scientific streams.
The third edition, whose awards ceremony took place on 29 August 2026, was designed specifically to identify young scientific talent, support it and stimulate further vocations in science and technology.
This choice is far from incidental. It reflects a conception of education in which academic competition does not merely establish a ranking. It also becomes a means of identifying the future engineers, researchers, technicians and executives that African economies will require.
In Benin, scientific excellence extends well beyond a single contest
One of the strengths of the Beninese experience is precisely that it does not reduce the issue to an occasional competition.
The country acts simultaneously on access to education, the identification of the best profiles, the encouragement of scientific fields and the support of young talent.
The decision announced in June 2026 to extend tuition-free schooling to all girls in public general and technical secondary education from the 2026-2027 academic year forms part of this logic. The Beninese government presents the measure as a way of reducing economic obstacles and promoting equal opportunity.
The reasoning is relatively simple: before asking young girls to become scientists, they must first be allowed lasting access to education and the ability to pursue their schooling under decent conditions.
This is where the Beninese experience takes on a broader dimension. Promoting girls in science is not merely a matter of prizes or ceremonies. It presupposes an environment that allows talent to emerge, to progress and, subsequently, to find its place in higher education and the professional world.
Burkina Faso enters the field with HAKILI Mousso
It is against this regional backdrop that the Burkinabe initiative HAKILI Mousso deserves attention.
Launched in September 2026 on the initiative of the Presidency of Faso, this first edition is devoted to identifying female scientific talent. Eighty-four young girls holding the 2026 scientific baccalaureate took part in the national final after a selection phase. The examinations covered mathematics, physics and chemistry.
On 19 September, the best candidates were rewarded in Ouagadougou. The top five in each discipline received various prizes, including sums of money, motorbikes, computers and scholarships. The supervising teachers of the best candidates were also recognised.
In substance, the message conveyed by HAKILI Mousso therefore echoes a concern already visible in Benin: to give greater prominence to female scientific excellence and encourage young girls to invest in scientific disciplines.
From Benin to Burkina Faso, a shared battle against stereotypes
The parallel is particularly striking on the question of stereotypes.
In Burkina Faso, the promoters of HAKILI Mousso explain that they want to dismantle the idea that mathematics, physics or chemistry are fields reserved for boys. The Burkinabe government thus presents the competition as an instrument designed to spark female scientific vocations.
In Benin, the strategy relies more on creating an environment conducive to the emergence of such talent: general competitions, excellence camps, support for science pupils and measures facilitating girls’ schooling.
The approaches are therefore not identical. But the general direction converges: identify talent, encourage girls to engage in science and make academic excellence a lever for development.
It is precisely for this reason that the Beninese experience deserves to be placed at the forefront when analysing Burkina Faso’s current evolution.
Is Burkina Faso a model pupil of the Beninese experience?
Describing Burkina Faso as a model pupil of Benin is, of course, a comparative reading. But the facts reveal a growing proximity in initiatives devoted to scientific excellence.
Benin had already established the general competition in mathematics and physical sciences in its education calendar. In 2026, it organised the third edition, linked to an excellence camp.
A few weeks later, Burkina Faso in turn organised a national competition specifically intended to reveal female scientific talent.
It would be excessive to claim that HAKILI Mousso is a copy of the Beninese system. The two programmes have their own characteristics and respond to different national contexts.
But in a region where states are seeking to strengthen their scientific and technological skills, Benin clearly stands out as a regional experiment that Burkina Faso can observe and, in certain respects, appears to be following.
From beauty to competence: a shift in perception
The question of beauty pageants constitutes another element of the debate.
Since June 2026, Burkina Faso has suspended beauty pageants on its territory pending a new regulatory framework. This decision opened a reflection on the models of achievement offered to young people.
A few months later, HAKILI Mousso placed at the centre of attention not physical appearance, but mathematics, physics, chemistry, reasoning ability and the scientific potential of young girls.
It is not necessarily a matter of opposing beauty and intelligence. Beauty pageants can have cultural, social or entrepreneurial dimensions. The real question is rather which models of success public policies choose to highlight.
And on this front, Benin has already embarked on a path worth observing.
Its system combines access to education, the identification of the best science pupils and the organisation of excellence frameworks. Burkina Faso now appears to be strengthening this dimension in turn with HAKILI Mousso.
The real issue: preparing tomorrow’s talent
Behind the competitions and ceremonies, the real issue is far more significant.
African economies need scientists, engineers, technicians, researchers and specialists capable of meeting challenges related to energy, digital technology, industry, agriculture, health and new technologies.
In this competition for skills, girls represent a considerable reservoir of talent that states can no longer afford to neglect.
Benin has understood this by multiplying mechanisms designed to promote girls’ access to education and to promote scientific excellence. Burkina Faso has now added an initiative specifically devoted to identifying female scientific talent.
The movement is therefore worth following.
Benin shows the way, Burkina Faso draws inspiration
Beyond the controversy surrounding beauty pageants, the current evolution above all reveals a transformation of educational priorities.
Benin has chosen to make scientific excellence a visible element of its education policy. Burkina Faso now appears to be taking a comparable trajectory.
The general competition in mathematics and physical sciences in Djougou, combined with the excellence camp, already illustrates in Benin this determination to identify and support the best scientific profiles.
HAKILI Mousso, in Burkina Faso, adds a female and national dimension to this logic of talent identification. With 84 candidates from the scientific baccalaureate and rewards intended to encourage their progress, the initiative marks a clear desire to give new visibility to young female scientists.
Thus, rather than presenting Burkina Faso as a country that has simply changed competitions, it is more relevant to look at the regional dynamic of which Benin is today one of the most visible examples.
Burkina Faso appears to have grasped the message: the future is not played out solely in speeches, but also in the capacity to identify, train and support talent.
