The Africa Institute of South Africa, a research institute within the Human Sciences Research Council, conducts research and coordinates HSRC's engagements in and on Africa. It conducts basic, applied policy-relevant and comparative research, while seeking to build capacity and provide policy advice and implementation support to advance South Africa's position on societal development, such as governance, peace, and security. As part of the nation-building project, we embarked on a research trip to Cote d'Ivoire and engaged with various civil society organisations, academia, and government representatives to better understand the country's nation-building projects. In this article, Nicasius Achu Check and Felicity Aphiwe Mkhongi share some insights on this trip.