The West African Development Bank (BOAD) plans to mobilize over FCFA 1,300 billion to support Côte d'Ivoire's National Development Plan (PND) 2026-2030. This announcement was made during a meeting between the Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, and the Resident Head of Mission of BOAD, Mr. Franchy Nago, on March 11, 2026. The PND 2026-2030 aims to accelerate the structural transformation of the Ivorian economy and strengthen the country's growth dynamics.
The PND 2026-2030 anticipates a total investment volume estimated at FCFA 114,838.5 billion, with an expected contribution from the private sector of 70.2%. Discussions between the Ivorian government and BOAD focused on financing prospects for the PND, highlighting the central role of this plan as a strategic reference framework. BOAD has already mobilized FCFA 1,150 billion over the past five years to finance structuring projects in various priority sectors, including transport infrastructure and ICT, energy production and access, agriculture and food security, real estate and housing, as well as health and education.
In parallel with this major investment, Côte d'Ivoire is considering a reform of its cocoa marketing system. This initiative follows a sharp drop in world cocoa prices, which has led to a sales crisis and an accumulation of unsold beans. After nearly tripling in 2024, cocoa futures have lost three-quarters of their value, currently trading around $3,300 a tonne due to a global surplus.
The Ivorian government had set the guaranteed price for planters last October well above current world market levels, which exposed international traders to heavy losses. As a result, they stopped buying, causing a build-up of stocks. In order to provide liquidity to farmers, the government intervened by buying back unsold stocks at a cost of over 500 billion CFA francs ($892.06 million).
The government plans to better align producer prices set by the state with international prices in order to be more responsive and realistic in the face of an extremely volatile market. Côte d'Ivoire, the world's leading cocoa producer, is thus seeking to secure its industry and ensure stable incomes for its producers. The country wants to transform its economy by increasing the added value of its cocoa production.
Côte d'Ivoire has set a target of processing at least 50% of its national cocoa production locally by 2026. In 2024, around 44% of the country's harvest was processed locally. Each tonne processed in Côte d'Ivoire adds an estimated $900-$1,200 more value than exporting raw beans, creating jobs and increasing farmers' incomes.
BOAD and Côte d'Ivoire are strengthening their cooperation to support the country's economic development through the PND 2026-2030. The reform of the cocoa sector aims to stabilize producers' incomes and increase the added value of the Ivorian economy.
