The “ICESCO-Hamdan Bin Rashid International Caravan for Arabic in non-Arabic-speaking countries of West Africa” has arrived at its second stop, Conakry, Guinea, where its activities will take place from 30 June to 4 July 2025, at the headquarters of the National Institute for Pedagogical Research and Action (INRAP).

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Pre-University Education and Literacy of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Jean Paul Cedy, who, in his speech, commended the efforts exerted by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences in advancing Arabic language education and teacher training in African countries.

For his part, Mr. Kabiné Sangaré, ICESCO’s National Focal Point in Guinea, praised the leading role played by the Organization in supporting Arabic language teaching programs for non-Arabic speakers and in strengthening the Arab educational and cultural presence in Guinea.

The Caravan aims to develop the competencies of teachers in 20 Guinean schools specialized in teaching Arabic, in addition to a number of educators and media professionals working in Arabic-French educational institutions, through intensive training sessions in applied linguistics and classroom-based cultural activities, thereby contributing to improving the language skills of learners at various levels.

This initiative falls within a regional project aimed at enhancing the qualifications of Arabic language teachers and developing educational curricula for non-Arabic speakers, covering four West African countries: Benin (which was the Caravan’s first stop), Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

This phase of the Caravan was supervised by Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at ICESCO’s Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, alongside local expert Professor Mr. Sékou Habib Chérif.