1.1. Economic and Financial Cooperation

Ivory Coast maintains close cooperation relations with Germany, particularly through its cooperation agency GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and its bank KFW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) for the financing of several projects, including:

• Compact with Africa Program: This program aims to promote sustainable private investment in Africa. It is an initiative from the G20 in consultation with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank (WB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), focusing on stimulating private investments and job creation in Africa. Ivory Coast signed the partnership in 2017. The first G20 Compact with Africa Country Team meeting took place in February 2019, attended by G20 member country ambassadors. Efforts under this initiative have primarily helped promote private investments with G20 investor groups, resulting in concrete outcomes for the Compact with Africa.

Germany committed to reserving approximately 52.4 billion FCFA (grants and loans) for Ivory Coast in 2022, to ensure effective implementation of bilateral development cooperation. These grants and loans were aimed at sectors such as climate and energy, vocational training and employment, governance and sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity, forest protection and restoration, and sustainable economic development and good governance.

A special fund of 2.62 billion FCFA was allocated to peacebuilding and crisis prevention, focusing on strengthening resilience in northern Ivory Coast.

From June 1-2, 2021, as part of the intergovernmental negotiations between Ivory Coast and Germany, Germany announced a support of 72.91 million Euros (about 47.8 billion FCFA) for various projects in Ivory Coast.

Direct funding provided by Germany to Ivory Coast has been in the form of loans and grants, with concessional loans for sectors including:

• Agriculture

• Rural and urban water supply

• Transportation

• Port infrastructure

• Health

• Energy

• Environment and other sectors.

Debt Restructuring Agreements: Germany and Ivory Coast have concluded twelve (12) debt restructuring agreements totaling 457 billion FCFA of restructured debt. The last three agreements were part of the implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

Two (2) debt conversion agreements were signed on September 21, 2010, and September 9, 2012, with Germany, specifically for the health sector (via the creation of a fund at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria) and the environmental sector (via the creation of a fund for the Foundation for Parks and Reserves of Ivory Coast).

1.2. Technical Cooperation

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Cooperation

In November 2018, Ivory Coast signed a partnership agreement with Germany to promote and finance renewable energy projects in the country. The agreement, titled "Memorandum of Understanding," was part of the G20 Compact with Africa initiative. The agreement was the first of its kind between the two countries, involving 100 million Euros (approximately 65.5 billion FCFA) in funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This funding includes a grant of 15 million Euros (9.8 billion FCFA) and a concessional loan of 85 million Euros (55.7 billion FCFA).

In addition, several other agreements were signed during a business mission from Bavaria to Ivory Coast in November 2018, including:

• An agreement for the installation of 6,000 solar-powered water pumps with the Ministry of Hydraulics

• An agreement for the delivery of 5,000 water filtration units

• An agreement with the local company SHELEC for the maintenance of electricity stations using H3 gas

• A Memorandum of Understanding with SIEMENS for the development of new activities

• A contract for the sale of 100 MW solar panels and the opening of a technical school.

Additionally, Germany is funding projects in the energy sector, such as:

• Interconnection between Ivory Coast and Ghana (WAPP)

• 37.5 MW Solar Power Plant

• Doubling of the Taabo-Yamoussoukro-Kossou-Bouaké road.

Rural Development and Biodiversity Preservation Cooperation

Several projects funded by GIZ and KFW include:

• Assistance in implementing the national REDD+ strategy (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), focusing on eliminating deforestation in supply chains of raw materials.

• Financing of a jurisdictional project with the San-Pedro region: the CAZ Project (Zero-Deforestation Supply Chains).

Health Cooperation

Germany provided 251,000 mosquito nets to Ivory Coast as part of the fight against malaria. The GIZ and KFW are also funding programs in family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, and strengthening the healthcare system in the Loh Djiboua and Haut Sassandra regions.

Mining Cooperation

The cooperation has led to the implementation of the West Africa Extractive Sector Governance Project (GRSE), which includes four components:

• Capacity building for regulatory authorities managing the sector and implementing fiscal and social prescriptions.

• Capacity building for civil society actors.

• Strengthening cooperation between administration, private sector, and local communities for local development.

• Cooperation (exchange of information and experiences) among the four Mano River Union countries (Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone).

Security Cooperation

Capacity building for the national police, specifically the scientific police, through Germany’s GIZ cooperation agency.