An educational institution named after the founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has been inaugurated in the capital of Burkina Faso in celebration of the 45th UAE National Day.

Built by the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation to serve some 500 male and female students, the five-storey Sheikh Zayed Science Academy in Ouagadougou is the largest educational institution in Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries.

Dr. Abu Bakr Dakuri, head of Burkina Faso's Muslim Association and religious advisor to the country's president, thanked the UAE agency for the generous gesture and noted that the government and people of the UAE take a keen interest in supporting human development.

Dakuri also prayed for the late Sheikh Zayed, the namesake of the academy.

Local officials and representatives of local charities attended the ceremony, which was overseen by the UAE Embassy in Dakar.