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Benin Wins Bronze at International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence
Two Beninese students earned a bronze medal and an honourable mention at the third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in Astana, Kazakhstan, the country's best result in its second appearance at the competition.
By Africa AI Ledger Desk · 20 August 2026 · 1 min read
Benin achieved its best-ever result at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), held in Astana, Kazakhstan, with two students earning recognition in the country's second appearance at the competition.
The medallists
Emmanuel Christiano Guidimadjegbe, a student at the Collège Catholique Notre-Dame de Lourdes in Porto-Novo, won a bronze medal. Raphael Nguebou, a student at the Lycée Technique F.M., received an honourable mention. Officials described the results as historic for Benin's fledgling AI education programme.
From national selection to the podium
The medals followed Benin's National AI Olympiad selection process launched earlier in 2026, which narrowed a national pool of secondary-school competitors down to the team sent to Astana. Organisers said the results validate the investment made in the national olympiad and broader AI-education initiatives such as the annual École d'Été sur l'Intelligence Artificielle.
Momentum for AI education
The performance adds to a run of AI-education milestones for Benin in 2026, alongside the appointment of an AI specialist as Minister of Digital Transformation and Innovation, reinforcing a government narrative that AI capability-building is starting to translate into measurable results for Beninese students on the international stage.
Source: beninwebtv.bj