Benin on the podium at the 2026 International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI)

Benin distinguished itself at the 3rd edition of the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

In its second participation in this international competition, Benin achieved a historic performance. Out of 437 contestants representing 106 countries, two young Beninese talents received awards:

Bronze medal: GUIDIMADJEGBE Emmanuel Christiano, a pupil at Collège Catholique Notre-Dame de Lourdes in Porto-Novo;

Honourable mention: NGUEBOU Raphael, a pupil at Lycée Technique F.M. Coulibaly in Cotonou.

This performance lifts Benin to 3rd place in Africa

It is a first for the country in this competition, following an honourable mention obtained at its first participation in the IOAI, in Beijing, in 2025.

Congratulations to Christiano, Raphaël and the six other members of the Beninese delegation for their commitment and their journey, as well as to the mentors, supervisors and all the teams who contributed to this participation.

This performance illustrates the progress made in developing Beninese skills in artificial intelligence and the importance attached to the emergence of a new generation of talent in the fields of digital technology and innovation.

Through training and the promotion of skills, the Government is pursuing its ambition of making digital technology and artificial intelligence drivers of development and competitiveness for Benin.

Benin thus confirms its ability to nurture talent capable of carrying its ambitions in the field of technology.