When a nation decides to place scientific excellence at the heart of its educational strategy, the effects resonate far beyond its borders. In West Africa, a decisive shift is underway: Burkina Faso has taken a major step by launching HAKILI Mousso, a national initiative dedicated to identifying and nurturing young female scientific talent. This breakthrough follows years of sustained effort in Benin, where a comprehensive model for promoting girls in science has already yielded tangible results. Together, these developments signal a turning point in how the region approaches the cultivation of scientific human capital.
Benin’s long-standing commitment to scientific excellence
For several years, Benin has embedded academic and scientific excellence within its core education policies. In 2026, the country continued this trajectory with the third edition of the General Competition in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, held in Djougou and paired with an excellence camp for students in scientific streams. The award ceremony, which took place on 29 August 2026, aimed to identify promising scientific talents, provide them with support, and inspire more young people to pursue careers in science and technology.
This approach reflects a broader vision: academic competition is not merely about rankings. It serves as a mechanism to identify future engineers, researchers, technicians, and professionals whose skills will be essential to African economies.
Beyond competition: Benin’s holistic approach
One of the strengths of Benin’s experience is that it does not reduce the challenge to a single event. The country simultaneously addresses access to education, the identification of top performers, the promotion of scientific fields, and the mentoring of young talent.
The decision announced in June 2026 to extend free tuition to all girls in public general and technical secondary education starting from the 2026–2027 academic year exemplifies this logic. The Beninese government presents this measure as a way to reduce economic barriers and foster equal opportunity.
The reasoning is straightforward: before asking young girls to become scientists, they must be able to access education consistently and pursue their studies under favourable conditions. This is where Benin’s experience takes on a broader dimension. Promoting girls in science is not solely about awards or ceremonies; it requires an environment that enables talent to emerge, progress, and ultimately find its place in higher education and the professional world.
Burkina Faso’s HAKILI Mousso: a new player emerges
It is within this regional context that Burkina Faso’s HAKILI Mousso initiative deserves close attention. Launched in September 2026 under the auspices of the Presidency of Faso, this first edition focuses on identifying female scientific talent. Eighty-four young women who obtained their scientific baccalaureate in 2026 participated in the national final after a selection phase. The tests covered mathematics, physics, and chemistry.
On 19 September, the top candidates were honoured in Ouagadougou. The five highest performers in each discipline received various prizes, including cash awards, motorcycles, computers, and scholarships. The supervising teachers of the best candidates were also recognised.
At its core, the message conveyed by HAKILI Mousso aligns with a concern already evident in Benin: to elevate the status of female scientific excellence and encourage young girls to engage with scientific disciplines.
A shared battle against stereotypes
The parallel is particularly striking when it comes to stereotypes. In Burkina Faso, the promoters of HAKILI Mousso explain their intention to dismantle the notion that mathematics, physics, or chemistry are fields reserved for boys. The Burkinabè government presents the competition as a tool designed to inspire scientific vocations among girls.
In Benin, the strategy relies more on creating an enabling environment for such talent to emerge: general competitions, excellence camps, mentoring for science students, and measures facilitating girls’ schooling. The approaches are not identical, but the general direction converges: identify talent, encourage girls to pursue science, and make academic excellence a driver of development.
This is precisely why Benin’s experience merits prominence when analysing Burkina Faso’s current evolution.
Burkina Faso: a model student of Benin’s experience?
Describing Burkina Faso as a “model student” of Benin is, of course, a comparative reading. Yet the facts reveal a growing proximity in initiatives dedicated to scientific excellence. Benin had already established its general competition in mathematics and physical sciences within its educational calendar. In 2026, it organised the third edition, linked to an excellence camp.
A few weeks later, Burkina Faso held its own national competition specifically designed to uncover female scientific talent. It would be excessive to claim that HAKILI Mousso is a replica of the Beninese system. Both programmes have their own characteristics and respond to different national contexts. However, in a region where states are striving to strengthen their scientific and technological capabilities, Benin clearly stands out as a regional experiment that Burkina Faso can observe and, in some respects, appears to be following.
From beauty to competence: a shift in focus
The issue of beauty pageants constitutes another element of the debate. Since June 2026, Burkina Faso has suspended beauty contests on its territory pending a new regulatory framework. This decision sparked reflection on the role models offered to young people.
A few months later, HAKILI Mousso placed mathematics, physics, chemistry, reasoning ability, and the scientific potential of young girls at the centre of attention—not physical appearance. This is not necessarily about opposing beauty and intelligence. Beauty pageants can have cultural, social, or entrepreneurial dimensions. The real question is which models of success public policies choose to highlight.
On this front, Benin has already initiated a process worth observing. Its system combines access to education, identification of top science students, and the organisation of excellence frameworks. Burkina Faso now appears to be strengthening this dimension with HAKILI Mousso.
The real challenge: preparing tomorrow’s talent
Behind the competitions and ceremonies lies a far more significant issue. African economies need scientists, engineers, technicians, researchers, and specialists capable of addressing 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 to promote girls’ access to education and advance scientific excellence. Burkina Faso has now added an initiative specifically dedicated 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, current developments primarily reveal 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 path.
The general competition in mathematics and physical sciences in Djougou, combined with the excellence camp, already illustrates Benin’s commitment to identifying and supporting top scientific profiles. HAKILI Mousso adds a female and national dimension to this logic of talent detection in Burkina Faso. With 84 candidates from the scientific baccalaureate and awards designed to encourage their journey, the initiative signals a clear intention to give new visibility to young female scientists.
Rather than presenting Burkina Faso as a country that has simply changed competitions, it is more relevant to examine the regional dynamic of which Benin is currently one of the most visible examples. Burkina Faso seems to have grasped the message: the future is not shaped by words alone, but by the ability to identify, train, and support talent.
