The Minister of Planning and Development, Souleymane Diarrassouba, received in audience at his office in the Sciam building in Plateau, Ms. Massandje Touré-Litsé, Executive Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for Côte d’Ivoire.

The meeting was part of efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between the pan-African financial institution and the Ivorian government.

At the end of the discussions, Ms. Massandje Touré-Litsé reaffirmed “the AfDB’s readiness to support Côte d’Ivoire in the implementation of its flagship projects.” She praised the quality of cooperation, noting that “Côte d’Ivoire has one of the Bank’s best-performing portfolios, with a total amount of 4.2 billion US dollars.”

The AfDB Executive Director also announced that the Bank’s Annual Meetings will be held in Congo-Brazzaville in May 2026, a major gathering that will bring together key economic and financial decision-makers from across the continent.

For his part, Minister Souleymane Diarrassouba commended the excellence of cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire and the AfDB, while emphasizing the need to “remove administrative bottlenecks in order to accelerate project implementation.” He also called for “greater diversification of investments, in line with national development priorities.”

The Minister further recalled the six pillars of the 2026–2030 National Development Plan (NDP): structural transformation of the economy; development of human capital and employment; private sector and investment development; balanced regional development and environmental preservation; strengthening governance and modernizing the State; and enhancing Côte d’Ivoire’s international standing.

The meeting reflects the shared commitment of both parties to consolidate their partnership and accelerate Côte d’Ivoire’s economic transformation toward inclusive and sustainable development.