ACAI Project

French Guiana faces a twofold vulnerability. On the one hand, the digital divide still affects part of the territory. On the other hand, local expertise remains insufficient in fields that have become strategic, notably artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

ACAI aims to address these challenges by bringing digital training, careers and applications closer to the people of French Guiana. This approach also extends to the most remote areas through coordinated initiatives across the whole territory.

The project therefore aims to move beyond a approach of recruiting external expertise on an ad hoc basis. Instead, it seeks to encourage them to settle in French Guiana on a long-term basis.

ACAI aims to enable the training of future generations, support businesses and local authorities, and gradually strengthen a French Guiana-based sector underpinned by higher education, research and innovation.

Bridging the digital divide
To carry out initiatives on the ground that are as close as possible to schoolchildren, families and communities that are geographically or socially isolated.

Boosting local employability
To train people from French Guiana in AI and cybersecurity roles, and then to encourage their recruitment and retention in the region.

Developing a comprehensive sector
To establish a continuum ranging from awareness-raising to higher education, continuing professional development and doctoral studies.

Enhancing the region’s profile
To position the University of French Guiana as a leading centre of excellence linking Europe, the Amazon and the Caribbean.

Awareness-raising is the starting point of the ACAI programme. It aims to raise awareness of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and related careers amongst audiences who may still perceive these fields as distant or inaccessible.

The initiatives are tailored to the knowledge and needs of the various target groups. They are designed to cover the whole of French Guiana.

• Initiatives in lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and preparatory classes for the grandes écoles, in collaboration with the Regional Education Authority.
• Awareness-raising within the degree programmes at the University of French Guiana and the Kourou University Institute of Technology (IUT).
• Bridging courses designed to facilitate access to Master’s programmes for students from other academic backgrounds or for those who have been out of higher education for some time.
• Events for the general public: hackathons, escape games, the Science Festival and showcasing students’ work.
• Initiatives aimed at businesses to promote a culture of cybersecurity and responsible AI.
• Meetings with practising professionals.
• Initiatives carried out with local communities and local authorities to address specific issues relating to AI and cybersecurity.

ACAI is making training a key driver for ensuring that skills are firmly established in French Guiana in the long term. The project begins with the creation of a Master’s degree in Computer Science — specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity — which will open at the start of the 2026–2027 academic year.

This programme is designed to meet the needs of the region and take account of the specific characteristics of the Guyanese and Amazonian context.

• Dual expertise in artificial intelligence and cyber security, tailored to the need to build up a critical mass of skills.
• Applications relating to the specific characteristics of the Amazon: biodiversity and bioresources, tropical health, space, SMEs and the public sector.
• An international dimension, with modules taught in English from the start of the 2027–2028 academic year and opportunities for study abroad in the Amazon region and in Europe.
• A continuum spanning initial training, work-based learning and continuing professional development, with 20 students per intake.
• Links with research and innovation, in particular with the CNES, the University Hospital, the doctoral programme and the Graduate School of Amazonia.

The project also invests in the training of trainers and teachers. The aim is to ensure that skills continue to be passed on locally beyond the duration of the project.
Lecturers and researchers at the University of French Guiana and the Kourou University Institute of Technology (IUT), as well as secondary school teachers in French Guiana, are involved in this initiative.

A certification programme should enable professionals already in employment to develop their skills. It should also give people undergoing a career change the opportunity to enter sectors facing labour shortages.

To this end, the project draws on a network of trainers and local partners.

Bridging the digital divide
Initiatives that are closely tailored to schoolchildren and remote areas.

Local employability
Guyanese people trained and recruited on a long-term basis within their own territory.

Structuring a sector
A continuum of awareness-raising from undergraduate to doctoral level, linked to research.

International reach
A leading centre linking Europe, the Amazon and the Caribbean.