Abu Dhabi:Joseph-Ki-Zerbo University (UJKZ) welcomed new students for the 2026-2027 academic year, encouraging them to take an active role in their education by demonstrating diligence and autonomy.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Professor Jacques Nanema, head of the University Pedagogy Center, emphasized the importance of students becoming the primary drivers of their educational journey. He urged students to go beyond classroom lessons by utilizing libraries, conducting research, and engaging with teachers and peers.
Professor Antoine Béré, president of UJKZ, highlighted the university as a space for freedom, discovery, debate, and future building. He encouraged students to act as change agents, promoting national sovereignty and development, and to participate in extracurricular, sporting, and cultural activities.
The president also called for students to embody discipline, solidarity, integrity, and civic responsibility, while remaining resilient amid various crises. He expressed confidence that students, guided by patriotic immersion, would become model scholars as envisioned by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of Faso and Head of State.
Lydia Rouamba/Tapsoba, Chair of the Board of Directors of UJKZ, emphasized diligence, responsibility, civic-mindedness, and solidarity as key to academic success. She urged students to maintain university infrastructure and announced the opening of a nursery to help balance academic and family responsibilities.
Rouamba/Tapsoba encouraged students to be proactive in research, asserting that endogenous development requires endogenous skills. Brice Kabré, a new student in English studies, expressed enthusiasm and curiosity about university life and aims to enhance his professional prospects through his passion for English.
Joseph-Ki-Zerbo University is committed to supporting new students in their transition and preparing them to meet the country's scientific, technical, and civic needs. The welcoming ceremony followed the formal start of the academic year on October 5, 2026, at the Burkinabe Institute of Arts and Crafts (IBAM).