Côte d'Ivoire is intensifying efforts to translate its National Energy Compact into concrete actions, following a two-day workshop in Abidjan to accelerate reforms, prepare priority projects, and mobilise financing to meet the country's 2030 energy targets under the Mission 300 initiative.
Held on 9 and 10 September, the workshop brought together government officials, development finance institutions, and technical partners to review progress and identify measures to advance implementation of the Compact.
"We are determined to play our full part in driving sectoral reforms, bringing projects to maturity and coordinating with implementing bodies. We will ensure that the identified priorities are translated into coherent, monitored and measurable actions," said Souleymane Soro, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Ivorian Minister for Mines, Oil and Energy.
Côte d'Ivoire unveiled its National Energy Compact in January 2025, setting four targets for 2030: universal access to electricity, a 50 percent clean cooking access rate, a 45 percent share of renewables in the energy mix, and the mobilisation of an additional $2 billion in private investment.
The country has made significant progress towards these goals. In 2025, 684,735 new electricity connections enabled around 3.56 million more people to access electricity. Access to clean cooking reached around 41 percent, while renewable energy accounted for 34 percent of the energy mix.
By early 2026, five of the Compact's 23 actions had been completed, 12 were underway, and six were behind schedule. The main priority areas include regulating mini-grids and self-generation, tariff adjustments, the sector's financial sustainability, bioenergy, clean cooking, and regional integration.
The Compact estimates investment needs of $15.02 billion through 2030, of which approximately $6.56 billion remains to be mobilised.
"Côte d'Ivoire is starting from a strong position," said Wale Shonibare, Director of Financial Solutions, Energy Policy and Regulation (PESR) at the African Development Bank. "The country has one of the most developed electricity systems in West Africa, has long relied on a model of private-sector participation in electricity generation, and plays an important role in regional electricity trade,".
He added that the challenge now is pace. "The challenge, therefore, is not merely to set ambitious targets, but to accelerate their implementation at the scale and pace required to meet the 2030 targets." Closer coordination among the Ivorian government, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and other partners will be essential to unlock financing and advance priority projects, he said.
Using the Compact Implementation Support Document (CISD) as an operational roadmap, participants identified priority actions across reforms, project development, financing, monitoring and risk management. Discussions focused on improving the preparedness, maturity and financial viability of projects in solar, hydropower, biomass, transmission and distribution, regional interconnections, storage, and access to electricity.
Marcelin Cissé, Director-General of the Planning Ministry, representing the Minister for Planning and Development, said Côte d'Ivoire has established high-level institutional oversight arrangements to guide the implementation of the roadmap.
The African Development Bank Group is supporting Côte d'Ivoire through investment financing, technical assistance, project preparation and partner mobilisation, notably through the Programme for the Strengthening of Transport and Distribution Networks (PRETD) and, in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank, the second phase of the Project to Strengthen the Electricity System Infrastructure and Improve Access to Electricity(PROSER II).
Led jointly by the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group, Mission 300 aims to connect an additional 300 million people across Africa by 2030. Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) facilitated the Abidjan workshop, supported by the Bank Group's African Energy Sector Technical Assistance Programme (AESTAP).
