On September 16, 2025, Prime Minister Dr. Robert Beugré Mambé presided over the signing ceremony of a $322 million Regional Compact  $300 million (168 billion FCFA) from the United States and a $22.5 million contribution from Côte d’Ivoire  between the two countries. The event took place at the Auditorium of the Prime Minister's Office in Abidjan-Plateau.

Signed by Jason Small, Vice President of Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and Adama Coulibaly, Ivorian Minister of Finance and Budget, this new deal is intended to be a structuring project aimed at strengthening Côte d’Ivoire’s status as an energy hub in the West African sub-region, expanding its capacity to supply electricity beyond the six countries that currently benefit from its power exports.

This new partnership under the MCC framework coincides with the official closure of the bilateral Compact of $536 million signed in August 2017.

Dr. Robert Beugré Mambé welcomed the quality and dynamism of the relationship between Côte d'Ivoire and the United States, calling it a “relationship built on trust, sustained by discipline, and strengthened by concrete results from projects benefiting our country.”

The Prime Minister added that "the ending bilateral Compact is a perfect illustration of what cooperation based on four pillars mutual respect, transparency, accountability, and mutual trust  can achieve."

He also emphasized that “results on the ground, beyond physical infrastructure and numbers, are even more significant in terms of improving living conditions and reducing poverty.” He noted that this success aligns with President Alassane Ouattara’s vision: “Development is not decreed. Development is built with method, with strong partners, and with constant political will.”

The Prime Minister promised to implement what he called “pragmatic diplomacy that doesn’t just make promises, but delivers concrete results,” to ensure that this new partnership becomes an even greater success  in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for fruitful cooperation: “America is proud of its friendship with nations that share its ambition to build a better world. Like us, they aspire to a future where every people can thrive with dignity and freedom.”

For his part, Fidèle Sarassoro, Minister and Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Account Côte d’Ivoire (MCA-Côte d’Ivoire), reiterated the teams’ commitment to achieving even greater results.

“We are confident that the experience and lessons learned from the bilateral Compact will help us avoid the shortcomings observed during its implementation. Likewise, the MCC’s eligibility criteria through the Scorecard will continue to guide our efforts to improve our country's governance performance,” he stated.

In addition to the Prime Minister, Fidèle Sarassoro and the MCA-Côte d’Ivoire teams were congratulated by Jason Small. The MCC Vice President for Operations praised a working model and the shared belief that economic growth should transcend borders. He specifically highlighted the numerous achievements of the bilateral Compact, including road infrastructure, three technical and vocational training centers, 40 local middle schools, two annexes of the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), and two university campuses.

The First Compact of Trump’s Second Term

U.S. Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba highlighted the special nature of the relations between the Ivorian and American governments. She pointed out that this Regional Compact is the first high-level partnership under the MCC framework signed since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

She quoted U.S. Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who stated a week earlier: “This pact reflects President Trump’s commitment to smart and responsible development that serves U.S. interests. A stronger energy sector in West Africa creates new markets for American businesses, supports U.S. jobs, and contributes to regional stability which benefits us all.”

Meanwhile, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, called for increased support from the U.S. government in the energy sector.

“We hope to explore new investment opportunities, particularly through an additional Compact aligned with our electricity sector’s strategic priorities,” he stated. This request aims to meet "investment needs to modernize our infrastructure, optimize energy distribution, and integrate alternative energy sources."

Before that, he pledged to “do everything necessary to ensure rigorous, transparent, and exemplary implementation of this project the Regional Compact  under the watchful eye of the Prime Minister.”