The African Development Bank Group and the United States government are laying the groundwork for deeper collaboration in Côte d’Ivoire, following high-level discussions in Abidjan on 17 November aimed at expanding joint support for the country’s economic transformation agenda.
The meeting, held at the AfDB headquarters, brought together Joseph Martial Ribeiro, the Bank’s Deputy Director General for West Africa, U.S. Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba, and Alex Severens, the Bank Group’s Alternate Executive Director for the U.S.
Bank officials briefed the U.S. delegation on a rapidly growing Ivorian development portfolio, which stood at 46 active operations worth $4.2 billion as of October. The investments span major sectors including transport, finance, energy, agriculture, industrialisation and private-sector development, areas the AfDB considers central to Côte d’Ivoire’s medium-term structural transformation.
The Bank’s Lead Economist for West Africa, Marcellin Ndong Ntah, noted that Côte d’Ivoire continues to post one of the region’s strongest economic performances, with GDP growth estimated at 6% in 2024 and projected to rise to 6.5% between 2025 and 2026. He also outlined the priorities of the Country Strategy Paper (2023–2028), which focuses on diversification, sustainability and structural reforms, with a mid-term review scheduled for 2026.
A detailed presentation of the 2026 operational programme by Country Programme Officer Blanche Kiniffo highlighted a portfolio dominated by transport, finance, energy and agriculture, sectors that collectively account for more than 80% of the Bank’s financing in Côte d’Ivoire. New opportunities next year are expected in governance, industrialisation, and water and sanitation.
The U.S. delegation, for its part, shared its newly developed trade strategy for Côte d’Ivoire, crafted by the Embassy’s Prosperity Working Group. Both sides identified clear areas of overlap between American priorities and AfDB programmes, opening the door to joint initiatives from 2026, with a strong emphasis on private-sector support.
Discussions also covered procurement opportunities, AfDB’s project pipeline, and pathways for U.S. companies to participate in upcoming infrastructure and private-sector operations.
The session closed with a reaffirmed commitment from both parties to strengthen dialogue, deepen cooperation, and create a more attractive investment climate in Côte d’Ivoire.
The meeting, according to officials, marks a significant step toward aligning U.S. and AfDB efforts to drive high-impact, sustainable development across the West African nation.
