Ivory Coast and the OPEC Fund for International Development signed a partnership strategy on Friday, October 16, 2026, in Bangkok that could mobilize up to 500 million dollars in financing and 3 million dollars in grants between 2026 and 2029.
The agreement was concluded on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund by the Ivorian Minister of Planning and Development, Souleymane Diarrassouba, and the President of the OPEC Fund, Abdulhamid Alkhalifa.
The 500 million dollars constitute a ceiling available throughout the duration of the partnership. They do not represent an amount already fully disbursed to the Ivorian state, as the projects are to be financed through various instruments and according to their progress.
The first component targets infrastructure capable of better withstanding the effects of climate change in energy, water, sanitation, transportation, and health. The framework must also support access to public services in underserved areas.
The second component focuses on economic transformation through agriculture, private sector growth, access to financing, skills development, and institutional strengthening. The Fund plans to combine public financing, trade finance, grants, and technical assistance.
The signing formalizes a package announced in April during a meeting in Abidjan between Souleymane Diarrassouba and the OPEC Fund’s Africa director. The new document now sets the period from 2026 to 2029 and adds a ceiling of 3 million dollars for donations.
The OPEC Fund indicates that it has been cooperating with Côte d’Ivoire since 1982 and has approved more than 530 million dollars in public and private financing in the country prior to this new framework.
