Côte d’Ivoire and the French Development Agency (AFD) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on agricultural transformation, with a focus on rice, cotton and food-crop production.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Crop Production, Bruno Nabagné Koné, met on Wednesday, Sept. 23, with Florian Raffarin, the new AFD director in Côte d’Ivoire. The meeting was also attended by Bernard Comoe, the minister delegate responsible for food crop production.

The discussions focused on consolidating cooperation around the country’s agricultural priorities. Raffarin reaffirmed the AFD’s commitment to continuing its support for Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in the rice sector and through the second phase of the RESCO project dedicated to cotton.

Koné outlined the government’s objective of making agriculture a major driver of economic growth and food sovereignty. Its strategy is built around five priorities: improving productivity, strengthening the competitiveness of agricultural sectors, securing rural land tenure, increasing access to agricultural financing and promoting sustainable agriculture.

The AFD is already involved in efforts to secure rural land tenure and is expected to strengthen its support in other areas, including access to high-yield seeds and the development of agricultural mechanization for food-crop producers.

This additional support is expected to be provided through the World Bank’s AgriConnect project, according to the information provided by the Agriculture Ministry.

The meeting comes as Côte d’Ivoire seeks to strengthen agricultural productivity and competitiveness while improving food security and supporting producers across the country.