The African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group, in partnership with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, launched the AgriConnect Country Component for Côte d’Ivoire on 5 February 2026 in Abidjan. The initiative aims to transform the country’s agricultural sector into a key driver of large-scale job creation and national food sovereignty. The launch event gathered representatives from the two development finance institutions, the Ivorian government including the Minister for Food Production Bernard Kini Komoé, technical and financial partners, private corporations, research centres, and major stakeholders in the national agricultural sector.
AgriConnect, launched globally in October 2025, seeks to mobilize more than $5 billion annually through 2030 to support over 300 million farmers worldwide. The program focuses on targeted investments in resilient infrastructure, agricultural policy reforms, and innovative financing. In Côte d’Ivoire, AgriConnect will be implemented as part of the National Development Plan 2026–2030, aligning with the country’s strategic priorities to modernize agriculture and promote inclusive economic growth.
African Development Bank representatives emphasized that agriculture is a powerful lever for inclusive growth in Africa. By modernizing value chains, strengthening institutions, and mobilizing innovative financing, the initiative aims to create millions of decent jobs, particularly for young people and women, while enhancing national food security. The World Bank highlighted that the agribusiness sector has significant potential to absorb the global youth entering the labor market, with AgriConnect turning farms into business opportunities and agriculture into a source of employment.
Minister Komoé welcomed AgriConnect as a critical platform for Côte d’Ivoire to provide jobs, empower women and youth, and strengthen food sovereignty in line with the government’s National Development Plan. In the rice sector, the African Development Bank will support improvements in irrigation, seed access, storage, husking units, and market facilitation to enhance productivity and value chains.
The launch of AgriConnect in Côte d’Ivoire is expected to foster closer coordination among technical and financial partners, ensuring that the implementation of the National Agricultural Investment Programme aligns with the country’s development priorities and delivers measurable impacts on employment and food security.
