Côte d’Ivoire and France have just signed three financing agreements in Abidjan, totaling over 137.2 million euros, in the fields of health, higher education, and basic education.
In the health sector, the funding amounts to 19 billion CFA francs for the implementation of a project aimed at improving maternal health and reproductive health rights.
In the area of higher education, 23 billion CFA francs have been mobilized to strengthen science education in Côte d’Ivoire.
Regarding basic education, the focus is on mobilizing 47 billion CFA francs to carry out a project that will allow tens of thousands of students to access quality secondary education.
These agreements fall under the third Debt Reduction and Development Contract (C2D) and were signed by Adama Coulibaly, Ivorian Minister of Finance and Budget; Sandra Kassab, Director of the Africa Department at the French Development Agency (AFD); and Jean-Christophe Belliard, the French Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, according to a statement published by the Government Information and Communication Center (CICG) on its official portal.
“These three projects align with the development of human capital, which is a government priority and is included in both the current and upcoming National Development Plans (PND),” emphasized Coulibaly. He also noted that an additional amount of over 3 billion CFA francs from the Bill Gates Foundation will supplement the AFD’s funding.
For her part, the AFD’s Africa Department Director highlighted that the three signed agreements reflect the commitment of both parties to inclusive, sustainable, and equitable human development.
“In the social sectors, particularly education and health, the stakes are high, and efforts are beginning to show results, as Côte d’Ivoire has recently made significant progress in the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings, moving up more than ten places in one year. These advances reflect strong commitments and sustained investments, which the AFD is proud to support,” she stated.
