Former Ivorian international and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba on Friday officially opened a public Primary School that has been named after him in Samarifla, a town about 15 kilometres from Bouaflé.
The school comprises of two buildings with six classes each in addition to an office. Its population consists of 282 pupils, while its construction was funded to the tune of 63 million CFA francs by Golé Foundation.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Drogba told the overjoyed pupils and parents of the school that he will personally assist the school by donating a fully equipped computer lab.
“I promise to be by your side. These are development projects for the benefit of Ivorian children and young people. We need to help them flourish in academics. I will be there to support you. In addition to these classes, I will build a digital class for the school”, promised Drogba.
Present at the ceremony was Ivory Coast’s Secretary of State for Capacity Building, Zoro Bi Ballo Epiphane, who represented the Minister of National Education, Technical Education and Vocational Training, Kadia Camara and the president of Gole Foundation, Golé Jean-Baptiste as well as community leaders.
Besides the new Didier Drogba Primary School of Samarifla, two other localities in the region will see the construction of a primary school named after the former international footballer. These are the villages of Gonan and Liadjenoufla.
The Ivorian legend’s storied career took him to France, England, China, Turkey, Canada and the United States.
He is best remembered for his spell at Chelsea, helping them to four English Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League, which he famously won through an 88th-minute equaliser and the winning penalty in the deciding shootout against Bayern Munich.
Drogba scored 65 goals in 104 appearances for Ivory Coast over a 12-year period. He played in three World Cups and was twice named African Footballer of the Year.
