Côte d’Ivoire: African Development Bank Group and United States Explore New Avenues to Accelerate Economic Transformation
A senior official of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) met with a high-level United States delegation on 17 November to chart new opportunities for cooperation aimed at advancing Côte d’Ivoire’s economic transformation. The meeting, held at the bank’s headquarters, highlighted a growing alignment between Ivorian development priorities, AfDB initiatives and the United States’ trade and investment interests.
Led by Joseph Martial Ribeiro, the Bank’s Deputy Director General for West Africa, and U.S. Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba, alongside Alex Severens, the US Alternate Executive Director at the AfDB, the discussions centred on expanding joint interventions across strategic sectors. Ribeiro noted that the Bank currently manages 46 active operations in Côte d’Ivoire, representing $4.2 billion in financing. These investments span transport, financial services, energy, agriculture and private sector growth. These are areas seen as critical levers of long-term competitiveness.
During an economic briefing, Marcellin Ndong Ntah, the Bank Group’s Lead Economist for West Africa, emphasized Côte d’Ivoire’s strong macroeconomic trajectory, projecting GDP growth of 6% in 2024 and an average of 6.5% between 2025 and 2026. He highlighted the country’s ongoing structural reforms and the ambition of its 2023-2028 Country Strategy Paper, which prioritizes diversification, sustainability and industrial transformation. A mid-term review in 2026 is expected to refine these priorities further.
The bank’s Country Programme Officer, Blanche Kiniffo, outlined the 2026 indicative operations pipeline, pointing to robust momentum in transport, energy, finance and agriculture, sectors that currently absorb over 80% of AfDB’s financing in Côte d’Ivoire. She noted that emerging opportunities in industrialisation, water/sanitation and governance reforms could unlock significant economic spillovers, from accelerating value-added processing to reducing business costs for local and international firms.
The US delegation presented Washington’s new trade strategy for Côte d’Ivoire, prepared by the US Embassy Prosperity Working Group. The strategy highlights expanded commercial engagement and support for American companies seeking entry into priority sectors. Areas of convergence identified during the meeting are particularly in the private sector financing, infrastructure modernisation and value-chain development, which set the stage for collaborative initiatives beginning in 2026.
Apart from sectoral alignment, both parties explored procurement pathways and the bank’s upcoming project pipeline, identifying practical entry points for US businesses. Increased US-AfDB coordination is expected to boost capital flows, enhance technology transfer and expand market opportunities for Ivorian enterprises, strengthening job creation, export potential and local industrial capacity.
The working session, described as both technical and strategic, ended with a shared commitment to concretise cooperation on high-impact development programmes. The AfDB and the United States reaffirmed their intention to promote an investment-friendly environment and to support companies eager to participate in Côte d’Ivoire’s rapidly growing economy.
