The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the government of Côte d’Ivoire initiated a preliminary dialogue in Abidjan on July 18-22, 2022, to lay the foundations for the Bank’s strategy in Côte d’Ivoire over the next five years.
Led by the Bank’s Deputy Managing Director for West Africa, Joseph Ribeiro, the Bank’s delegation held weeklong discussions with various stakeholders and partners in Côte d’Ivoire, including senior government officials from the Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry of Planning and Development, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and technical departments of the main ministries concerned with the Bank’s work in Côte d’Ivoire. Technical and financial partners of Côte d’Ivoire also took part in the meetings, as did representatives of the Ivorian private sector and civil society.
The discussions focused on the first version of the country diagnostic note, prepared by the Bank for Côte d’Ivoire, and the completion report of the Bank’s 2018-2022 Country Strategy Paper (CSP) (https://bit.ly/3zg0B7e) for Côte d’Ivoire, which expires at the end of the year. The dialogue also included a performance review of the portfolio of projects financed by the Bank in Côte d’Ivoire during 2022. Lessons were learnt regarding cooperation between the Bank and Côte d’Ivoire, and a number of strategic and operational recommendations were formulated with a view to improving future projects.
“Côte d’Ivoire is a strategic partner of the Bank and this dialogue with government and other stakeholders has enabled a complete diagnosis of our actions in Côte d’Ivoire and identification of strategic directions for the future Country Strategy Paper, which will cover the period 2023-2027 and will be linked to priorities of the government’s National Development Plan for 2021-2025,” Ribeiro said.
“The Bank has successfully adjusted its interventions through the use of more appropriate tools and mechanisms, as shown by the Covid-19 Rapid Response Facility, which provided a cycle of general and sectoral support for the national budget, and the Emergency Food Production Programme, which provides FCFA 96 billion ($159.33 million) of budget support to deal with consequences of the crisis in Ukraine,” said the head of the office of the Minister of Planning and Development, Yéo Nahoua, who led the Ivorian delegation.
“I take this opportunity to thank the Bank authorities, on behalf of the Minister of Planning and Development, which acts as the Bank’s governor for Côte d’Ivoire, for their contribution to the resilience of our economy and for further improvement in the quality of our cooperation,” he added.
The Bank’s current Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Côte d’Ivoire, which runs to the end of 2022, supports implementation of the Ivorian government’s National Development Plan for 2016-2020. The two pillars of the plan are: strengthening key infrastructure and governance for greater competitiveness and investment efficiency; and the development of agro-industrial value chains to promote inclusive and sustainable growth.