Representing First Lady Dominique Ouattara, Maïmouna Koné Coulibaly, wife of the Vice President of the Republic, presided over the opening ceremony of a capacity-building session for 500 women beneficiaries of the Women's Support Fund of Côte d’Ivoire (FAFCI) on entrepreneurial management on Monday, June 22, 2026, at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan.
The three-day training program is held under the theme: “Becoming Financially Independent: Training for Women in Business.”
“We are fully aware that true empowerment also comes through knowledge, skills, and the ability to manage resources wisely in order to grow investments. It is precisely to advance this mission that FAFCI has partnered with the Québec Office in Côte d’Ivoire and HEC Montréal, enabling us to offer our beneficiaries high-quality training today,” Maïmouna Koné Coulibaly stated.
She noted that this is the third such training initiative, following a first session held in April 2025 for 25 women association leaders within FAFCI and a second session conducted in May 2026 for 10 women leaders.
Reviewing FAFCI’s achievements, the First Lady’s representative expressed satisfaction that the fund has become a powerful tool for women’s financial inclusion and sustainable development in Côte d’Ivoire.
“Starting with an initial capital of 1 billion CFA francs, the fund has now grown to 28 billion CFA francs and has enabled more than 430,000 women across Côte d’Ivoire to achieve greater financial independence. Thanks to loan repayments, a total of 100 billion CFA francs has been invested to date, with an outstanding repayment rate of 98%, reflecting the discipline and determination of the women beneficiaries,” she emphasized.
For her part, Elisa Valentin, Deputy Minister for Europe, Africa and the Middle East Relations at Québec’s Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie, expressed her hope that the training would equip women entrepreneurs with the tools needed to transform their ideas into sustainable projects that create value, jobs, and prosperity.
One FAFCI beneficiary, Victorine Koukoua, an attiéké trader from Dimbokro, shared her gratitude to Dominique Ouattara, explaining how the fund helped her escape poverty:
“I started my business with an initial loan of 100,000 CFA francs, which I repaid within six months. I then received loans of 200,000, 300,000, and 500,000 CFA francs, which allowed me to expand my activities. I repaid all of these loans. Today, I can afford the things I want. Thanks to my efforts, nearly 200 women in Dimbokro have also received information about the fund and obtained loans.”
Created in 2012 by First Lady Dominique Ouattara, FAFCI is a microcredit program designed to support Ivorian women, particularly the most vulnerable, by providing low-interest loans to help them start income-generating activities. The funds are made available after beneficiaries complete free training programs.