Senegal
Academy Profile
École Supérieure Multinationale de Télécommunication
Regional Academy
Established November 2001
École Supérieure Multinationale de Télécommunication (ESMT), located in Dakar, was formed in 1981 under the initiative of seven West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo, and in cooperation with the UNDP. The multiethnic school provides its students with an education in computer science engineering and telecommunications. ESMT brought the Cisco Networking Academy Program to its program of study in November 2001 through the sponsorship of the ITU and Cisco Systems. After training the instructors in 2002, the ESMT Cisco Academy offered its first student networking class in February 2003.
The Academy currently enrolls 91 students, with 12 students per class. Overall, ESMT would like to enroll more female students in the program to help raise the nation’s low level of qualified female professionals in the telecommunications sector. Female students receive a 10% discount for course enrollment in the Academy Program. In January 2004, the Academy will offer its first-ever all female course to 12 women.
The Academy Program is undoubtedly a success among students and faculty at ESMT. The Academy promoted its first graduating class of 12 students in August 2003. The graduating students aspire to become network engineers in Senegal’s commercial telecommunications sector. In the next five years, the Academy hopes to achieve a minimum of 40 graduating students per year.
For more information about ESMT, please visit: www.esmt.sn