Ouagadougou: The Nando region officially launched the second edition of the Compulsory Patriotic Immersion (IPO) for the class of 2026 at Sainte Monique College in Koudougou. The initiative features 6,259 high school graduates, including 3,249 girls, embarking on a journey of civic and patriotic education.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the ceremony was attended by prominent figures such as the Grand Chancellor of the Burkinabe Orders, General Pingreoma Zagr, and the President of the National Commission of the Confederation of Sahel States, Bassolma Bazi. The event also saw participation from various administrative, military, customary, and religious authorities, alongside the graduates themselves.
The IPO program in Nando is designed to instill civic responsibility and patriotism among young graduates. Participants, spread across 12 sites-six solely dedicated to girls-will undergo a 30-day training regimen covering 13 modules. Koudougou hosts 8 of these sites, with the remaining distributed between the towns of Ro and Lo. The training aims to fortify their sense of duty, patriotism, and civic responsibility.
The launch ceremony included a prayer led by Bishop Alexandre Bazi, seeking divine grace for the program's success and the protection of the youth. Religious leaders encouraged students to embrace values such as country love, fraternity, solidarity, justice, and peace.
The president of the special delegation of Koudougou municipality praised the community's engagement, urging the graduates to approach the program with discipline and rigor. He reaffirmed the local population's support for national renewal ideals. Hyacinthe Yamogo, regional director of Secondary Education, assured attendees that provisions were in place to ensure the students' well-being.
Governor Adama Jean-Yves Br, president of the regional IPO cell, paid tribute to Captain Boubacar Compaor, a key figure in the previous year's edition, before emphasizing the program's role in national sovereignty and state rebuilding. He appealed for support to enhance participant experiences through donations of food, non-food items, and funds.
The ceremony featured a demonstration by 2025 alumni on assembling and dismantling AK-47 rifles, a broadcast of a message from Head of State Captain Ibrahim Traor to the graduates, and a collective tree-planting activity, marking the event's conclusion.