L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée d’Abidjan receives global quality accreditation

The Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée d’Abidjan (ENSEA) in Côte d’Ivoire has successfully completed its International Quality Review (IQR) and been awarded global quality accreditation by QAA.

IQR is a rigorous process which benchmarks global higher education institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The review visit was conducted on 23-25 April 2024 by three independent reviewers appointed by QAA. In making their conclusions, the review team confirmed that the University meets all 10 of the internal quality assurance standards in the ESG.

Established in 1961, ENSEA is a public institution and African Centre of Excellence for training and research in statistics and applied economics. It is based in Cocody, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The review team found four examples of good practice and was able to make 12 recommendations for enhancement. These recommendations are of a desirable rather than essential nature and are proposed to enable the institution to build on existing practice which is operating satisfactorily but which could be improved or enhanced. The team did not set any conditions. 

QAA's review team identified the following areas of good practice at ENSEA:

• the clear and strong links between ENSEA's quality policy and its strategic plan
• the practice of running ‘boot camps’ at the start of each academic session, placing students in a strong position to start the year
• ENSEA’s policy on its use of social media which aims to raise awareness and ensure consistency
• ENSEA’s approach to evaluating itself against external frameworks with a view to continuous improvement.

Overall, the team concluded that ENSEA meets all standards for International Quality Review. 

Dr Hugues Kouadio, Director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée d’Abidjan, said: ‘We are immensely proud and honoured to be the first institution in West Africa to receive this prestigious accreditation. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teaching faculty, staff and students. It underlines our commitment to excellence in education and our mission to make a significant contribution to the development of statistical and economic expertise in Africa. In addition, this accreditation strengthens our position as a benchmark institution and Centre of Excellence in Africa. Finally, it commits us to maintaining the highest international standards in teaching and research, as demonstrated by our accreditations from the World Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Association of African Universities (AAU). We would like to express our gratitude to the entire QAA team for their insights and recommendations.'

Chris Bland, QAA’s Head of Accreditation and Consultancy, added: 'QAA is very pleased to congratulate the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée d’Abidjan on being the first institution in West Africa to successfully complete an International Quality Review. We have very much enjoyed working with our colleagues in Côte d’Ivoire, and we look forward to collaborating with them in the future.'

This IQR accreditation will be valid for five years, subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review. ENSEA can now display QAA’s IQR Accreditation Badge, showing that their quality assurance processes are comparable with international best practice.

By securing IQR accreditation from QAA, international institutions can clearly spotlight their quality standards internationally, and more easily start dialogues with institutions outside their own country.

You can read ENSEA's IQR report on our website, where you can also find out more about the IQR process and QAA International Membership. If you are interested in your institution seeking accreditation or international membership, and wish to discuss this further, please contact the QAA Global team at accreditation@qaa.ac.uk.