In the 1980s experts from the World Health Organization noted the flagrant lack of entomologists in countries with vector-borne diseases. It was decided to create a network of five centers around the world to train specialists to fight against these diseases. Thus, the centers were created:
Côte d'Ivoire was chosen for the quality of its infrastructure and the center was installed in Bouaké because of its ecological facies favorable to the emergence of vector-borne endemics.
Thus the Center of Medical Entomology and Veterinary (CEMV) of Côte d'Ivoire was born in 1981 after presentation in the Ministerial Council of a communication by the late Jean-Baptiste MOKEY then Minister of State, Minister of Public Health and the population under the leadership of the late President Felix Houphouet. The birth certificate of the Center was signed by 7 Ministers.
Since then, the CEMV has become the only French-speaking center in a network of five (5) centers all over the world. As such, the CEMV is an indispensable instrument for French-speaking African countries.
At its creation, all equipment was provided by WHO and the administrative direction was entrusted to ORSTOM (now IRD). Thus the first Director of the CEMV was Dr. Jacques BRENGUES of the IRD and the structure was attached to the laboratory of zoology and animal biology of the former faculty of science and technology (ex FAST) of the National University of Abidjan. Students accessed it with fellowships from organizations such as WHO, USAID, GTZ, etc. or governments of their home countries.

• •  Venezuela for Latin America
  •  Indonesia for Southeast Asia
  •  Sub-Saharan Africa (three in total): Nairobi in Kenya for English-speaking East Africa, Jos in Nigeria for English-speaking West Africa, Bouaké in Ivory Coast for French-speaking Africa