INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIAD IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 2027 · BENIN
Process, indicative timeline and criteria
IOAI 2027 · Singapore · 4 to 10 July 2027
Sèmè City Development Agency (ADSC), in partnership with MTDI, MESRS and the Ministry of Secondary Education
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Participation is free of charge
No registration, training, examination or camp fees are charged to candidates or their families.
ADSC covers transport, accommodation and travel for the national exam and for the competition in Singapore.
The selection covers all 77 municipalities of the country. Learning content is available offline. An AI Training Relay Centre in each municipality supports students with limited access to digital resources.
Students enter the programme through two complementary routes. They then form a single cohort, which follows the same training and the same ranking.
Route 1
Students with a very strong science profile, identified across the whole country and nominated by their schools, in coordination with the Departmental Directorates of Secondary Education.
Reach as many students as possible in Benin and build a lasting foundation for STEM and AI.
Route 2
Direct recruitment of students who already have programming skills, including those whose science results are more modest.
Identify students who already have the basics and maximise the chances of distinction at the IOAI.
Students selected through the two routes form a single cohort. The selection then alternates four training stages and three selection rounds. At each stage, numbers decrease and training becomes more advanced. Dates are provisional.
Ranking · early February
Departmental exam · mid-February
National exam · late March
Final MCQ test · 10 April
Team selection · 12 April
Preparatory training target: 120 students per municipality, in all 77 municipalities.
12 April 2027 Selection of the national team, confirmed to IOAI on 13 April, before the 15 April 2027 deadline.
The dates below are indicative and provisional. They may be adjusted according to the school calendar, logistical constraints and the official IOAI timeline.
| Stage | Assessment | Advancement to the next stage | Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct test | MCQ: algorithms, Python, mathematics | 60% of total points or more | List of admitted students |
| Preparatory training | Continuous score: weekly MCQs and challenges | Threshold of 12/20 (60%) and quota of the top 100 per department, i.e. up to 1,200 | Early February |
| Departmental exam | Supervised written MCQ | Threshold of 70% of total points; top 10 per department at most, i.e. 120 | Late February |
| National exam | Three practical tasks, each worth one third: machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing | Top 12 | Late March |
| Final MCQ test | MCQ scored out of 100 | 4 team members and 4 reserves | 12 April |
The top four in the final ranking form the national team. The next four are reserves and are called up in ranking order in case of withdrawal.
Results of every stage are published. Scoring rules are communicated to candidates before each round. Any later change to a threshold will be announced before the round concerned. Appeals may be submitted within ten days of publication.
If the African Olympiad takes place after the national exam, the 12 selected candidates will represent Benin there.
Deviation from the planned process. The single end-of-bootcamp exam was replaced by continuous assessment, considered more reliable.
Participation funded by the national budget through ADSC, with MTDI, MESRS and the Ministry of Secondary Education.
MTN Benin provided the 150 workstations and internet connection for the National Olympiad.
Sèmè City Development Agency
Sèmè One Building, Cotonou
French and English.
26 October 2026: publication of the 2027 selection process.
