Côte d’Ivoire and the Sovereign Order of Malta are strengthening their cooperation in civil protection, with a focus on training emergency responders and improving the country’s capacity to manage disasters.

The partnership includes support for the National Civil Protection Office (ONPC), particularly in strengthening the operational skills of firefighters and emergency personnel. The Order of Malta announced its support for the initiative during a meeting with Côte d’Ivoire’s Interior and Security Minister Vagondo Diomandé in December 2025.

The cooperation has since led to concrete training activities. From Sept. 8 to 17, 2026, the ONPC and the Italian Relief Corps of the Order of Malta (CISOM) organized a training programme for civil and military firefighters, as well as personnel from the national airport and meteorological authority SODEXAM and the Autonomous District of Abidjan. Five CISOM trainers took part in the programme.

The training covered crisis management, operational planning, emergency needs assessment and water rescue. On Sept. 16, 20 firefighters 12 civilian firefighters from the ONPC and eight military firefighters from the Military Firefighters Group completed a specialized water-rescue course in N’Zianouan. The final exercise involved rescuing a simulated victim from the N’Zi River in a difficult-to-access location.

The cooperation also extends beyond civil protection. On Oct. 2, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nialé Kaba, met the Order of Malta’s ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Arnaud de Martin de Viviès. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in humanitarian, health and social affairs and reaffirmed their intention to continue joint initiatives aimed at supporting communities.

For Côte d’Ivoire, the partnership with the Order of Malta provides additional technical support for emergency response and disaster management, while also expanding cooperation in humanitarian and social fields.