Côte d’Ivoire is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea with a population of over 28 million (2022). It is the second biggest economy in West Africa after Nigeria and has the highest GDP per capita in the region after Cabo Verde. As the world’s top exporter of cocoa and raw cashew nuts, Côte d’Ivoire has one of the biggest development and growth potential in the region. The country is facing growing risks linked to its neighbours’ instability and insecurity (Mali and Burkina Faso).
Our partnership
The EU-Côte d’Ivoire partnership builds on several agreements (Economic Partnership Agreement, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)), the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and the Global Gateway Strategy.
Team Europe in Côte d’Ivoire brings together the EU, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and The Netherlands.
Under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe), the EU allocated EUR 228 million for Côte d’Ivoire over 2021-2024. The country also benefits from various other EU initiatives notably from the regional programme for Sub-Saharan Africa for 2021-2027.
- 8 MARCH 2022
- 8 MARCH 2022
- 14 DECEMBER 2023
- 22 OCTOBER 2024
- 2 DECEMBER 2022
- 16 DECEMBER 2021
- 19 JUNE 2014
Our flagship initiatives
EU cooperation focuses on i) human capital with actions on technical and vocational education and training; social protection and migration; ii) sustainable and inclusive growth with actions on business environment, agriculture, and low-carbon transition; as well as iii) democratic governance, peace and security and digital governance.
Team Europe in Côte d’Ivoire focuses its action on several key sectors:
Sustainable cocoa
The EU supports the economic, social and environmental sustainability of cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire in the framework of the EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative. The Initiative contributes to the implementation of the national sustainable cocoa strategy and aims to:
- achieve the transition to an environmentally sustainable cocoa economy through the protection and rehabilitation of natural ecosystems and supporting cocoa farmers and cooperatives to develop innovative agricultural practices;
- improve the living conditions of farmers and vulnerable groups;
- eliminate child labour; and
- improve the governance of the cocoa sector and guarantee transparency in the management of resources.
To support compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the EU also contributes to the development of a monitoring system including a traceability and certification system, a spatial land monitoring and early warning system for deforestation, and the Child Labour Monitoring System.
Low carbon transition
The Team Europe Initiative supports Ivorian climate mitigation actions through:
- increased production and access to more electricity from renewable energy sources (e.g. the finished construction of the largest and first on-grid 37.5 MWp solar power plant in Boundiali in the North of the country; the planned construction of 80 MWp solar power plants with energy storage systems of 50 MWh and the rehabilitation of dams and hydroelectric plants in Taabo in the South-East; as well as the construction of the 400kv transmission lines from the North of Abidjan to Ferkessédougou at the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso (Eastern backbone);
- recovery of agricultural waste and its use for fertilisers;
- alternative or less polluting cooking energy solutions;
- energy efficiency notably in the industry and building sectors;
- promotion of cleaner and better structured public and private transport modes; and
- better measurement of the progress of its low-carbon transition.
Peace and stability
This Team Europe Initiative aims to:
- strengthen the quality of governance and human rights;
- support migration policy and migrant management in the broader framework of the TEI for the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic routes;
- support the fight against terrorism and organised crime; and
- strengthen the role of civil society as an actor in cohesion.
With respect to risk of expansion of insecurity from the Sahel, the EU follows an integrated approach. A first field of cooperation includes actions in support of security and defence forces, notably through the Académie Internationale de Lutte contre le Terrorisme in Jacqueville. Simultaneously, the EU aims to strengthen the resilience of the population through socio-economic support and conflict prevention; and to support the long-term development of the Northern regions through infrastructure development and the management of the Comoé National Park.
These national flagships are complemented by several regional Global Gateway flagships. This notably includes flagships on strategic transport corridors (to enhance transport infrastructure with Côte d’Ivoire at the centre of the Abidjan-Lagos, Praia-Abidjan and Abidjan-Ouagadougou) and on digitalisation.