Côte d’Ivoire has inaugurated four new border police posts aimed at strengthening border security, improving migration management and combating cross-border crime, as the country expands its cooperation with Italy on migration issues.
The facilities, located in Dohouba, Gbeunta, Péhékan-Barrage and Doubasso, were inaugurated on October 17 in Dohouba, in the western part of the country. The project is financed by Italy and implemented with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with Ivorian authorities.
Interior and Security Minister General Vagondo Diomandé attended the ceremony alongside Italy’s ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Roberta Di Lecce, and IOM mission chief David Preux.
The new facilities are equipped with information technology and communications systems, immigration and emigration processing areas, and patrol resources to support document verification and the monitoring of cross-border movements. Three of the posts, in Dohouba, Gbeunta and Péhékan-Barrage, also include dormitories for officers. Water infrastructure has been installed to meet the needs of border services and help improve access to water for nearby communities.
Beyond infrastructure, the CIVIT project has provided training to 96 Ivorian officers in migration and border management, document fraud detection, human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants. Twelve of those officers were trained as instructors to pass on their skills to other personnel.
The initiative has also included specialized training in Italy for 15 police officers, along with study visits and exchanges of expertise between the two countries.
The project builds on a cooperation agreement signed in March 2023 by the Ivorian and Italian interior ministers. Construction of the four posts was subsequently launched, with the foundation stone for the Dohouba facility laid in June 2024.
Vagondo Diomandé called for professionalism, vigilance and integrity among officers assigned to the new facilities, while urging communities in border areas to cooperate with security forces.
The initiative comes amid efforts to improve the management of cross-border movements while addressing threats linked to illicit trafficking, document fraud and transnational crime. Officials have also stressed the need to facilitate regular mobility and promote safer migration routes.
The inauguration marks a new stage in Ivorian-Italian cooperation on border management. The authorities have not disclosed the total cost of the four facilities.