Asset recycling: Côte d’Ivoire presents its model on the sidelines of the AfDB Annual Meetings

On the sidelines of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings in Brazzaville on Monday, May 23, 2026, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, took part in a high-level panel organized by Africa50 in the presence of the AfDB President.

The panel theme was: “Transforming public assets into capital: unlocking the asset recycling pipeline in Africa.”

Faced with an estimated annual infrastructure financing gap in Africa of between USD 130 and 170 billion, Côte d’Ivoire has adopted a strategic approach: leveraging existing public assets energy, port, road, and oil infrastructure to free up resources that can be redirected into priority development projects without increasing sovereign debt.

Key highlights of the model include:

• Planned investments of XOF 114,838.5 billion under the 2026–2030 National Development Plan (PND), with over 70% expected from the private sector

• Mobilization of strategic assets such as more than 3,200 MW of energy infrastructure, the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro, and hydrocarbon projects including Baleine and Calao

• The creation of the FSD-CI Sovereign Strategic Development Fund to ensure transparent reinvestment of mobilized resources for the benefit of the population

By presenting this approach at the highest level during the AfDB Annual Meetings, Côte d’Ivoire highlights that Africa’s development financing cannot rely indefinitely on debt or aid. It positions its model as a reference framework for African countries, demonstrating that an alternative path sovereign, sustainable, and efficient is possible.