The African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group, in partnership with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, have launched, on 5 February 2026, the AgriConnect Country Component for Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan. The initiative aims to advance transformation of the country's agricultural sector into a driver of large-scale job creation and food sovereignty.
The launch event brought together representatives of the two DFIs, the Ivorian government, including the Minister for Food Production, Bernard Kini Komoé, as well as leaders of technical and financial partners, private corporations, research centres and of major actors in the agricultural sector at the national level.
The World Bank and the African Development Bank launched AgriConnect in October 2025 to mobilise more than $5 billion annually through 2030 to support more than 300 million farmers worldwide. The initiative relies on targeted investments in resilient infrastructure, agricultural policy reforms and the mobilisation of innovative financing. In Côte d'Ivoire, it will be implemented as part of the country's National Development Plan (PND) 2026-2030.
"AgriConnect is not just an initiative, it's a platform for transformation," said Richard Ofori-Mante, Director of Agricultural Finance and Rural Development at the African Development Bank, representing Martin Fregene, Acting Vice President for Agricultural, Social and Human Development.
"Agriculture is the most powerful lever for inclusive growth in Africa. By modernising value chains, strengthening institutions and mobilising innovative financing, we can create millions of decent jobs, especially for young people and women, while improving food sovereignty."
Elhadji Adama Touré, the World Bank's Head of the Agriculture and Food Practice for West Africa, said, "Over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people will enter the labour market globally. The agribusiness sector has immense potential to absorb this demographic wave. AgriConnect aims to mobilise innovative investments to transform farms into businesses and agriculture into opportunities."
Welcoming the launch of this initiative in Côte d'Ivoire, Minister Komoé said, "AgriConnect is an opportunity for Côte d'Ivoire in its efforts to transform the agricultural sector, provide jobs for young people and women and strengthen national food sovereignty in line with the government's strategic orientations as summarised in the National Development Plan 2026-2030."
The technical and financial partners present at the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the implementation of AgriConnect in accordance with Côte d'Ivoire's development priorities, defined in its PND 2026-2030, of which the National Agricultural Investment Programme (PNIA) is one of the major strategic priorities.
The launch of AgriConnect in Côte d'Ivoire is expected to bring about closer coordination among technical and financial partners who support the government in the implementation of the National Agricultural Investment Programme.
