Hershey inaugurates primary schools in Côte d’Ivoire

Chocolate brand, Hershey, in collaboration with local and international partners, has inaugurated three public primary schools in Gly, a village located in the Lôh-Djiboua region of Côte d’Ivoire.

In a statement, Hershey said the initiative, including the construction of a new school and the renovation of two existing ones, was aimed at improving education in cocoa-producing areas.

A tripartite partnership involving Hershey, the National Committee for Monitoring Actions to Combat Child Labor, chaired by Côte d’Ivoire’s First Lady, Dominique Ouattara, and the International Cocoa Initiative Foundation led the school project.

The schools are part of a larger effort to enhance educational infrastructure in regions known for cocoa farming, an industry where child labour has been a concern, according to Hershey.

Hershey’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel, James Turoff, said the company had regarded education as important for over 130 years of its existence.

Turoff said, “Supporting children’s education is fundamental to our work in cocoa-producing communities. Through this effort, we hope to provide better access to quality education and help generations of children thrive.”

Hershey noted that one of the schools was named ‘Gly 3 Dominique Ouattara’, after Côte d’Ivoire’s First Lady, Ouattara, in recognition of her dedication to children’s rights.

Ouattara expressed her gratitude and noted that the new schools were a significant step toward securing a brighter future for rural children.

“Hershey’s contribution reflects our shared vision of ensuring children in rural areas have access to modern educational facilities,” Ouattara said.

Among the event attendees were the Minister of Women, Family, and Children, Nassénéba Toure, who represented Ouattara, traditional leaders, local officials, students, and parents.

According to Hershey, the school inauguration aligns with its broader commitment to supporting education in cocoa-producing communities as part of its global “Cocoa for Good” strategy.

It added that it planned to build 12 primary schools with 72 classrooms by 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire.