From promises to construction sites, the message is clear. On October 21, 2026, in Abidjan, the Minister of Planning and Development, Dr Souleymane Diarrassouba, invited his European partners to move from declarations to achievements. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in the presence of the Minister of State in charge of this department. This speech follows the presentation of the strategic orientations of the National Development Plan (PND) 2026-2030 and the reforms which accompany its implementation. The Minister then detailed his expectations. The first, a calendar and a joint mechanism for monitoring announcements.The second, the alignment of the new European cooperation strategy with the priorities of the Plan, with the acceleration of the Global Gateway conventions, which represent around 1 billion euros. The third, the holding of economic forums bringing together European companies and Ivorian national champions.

This billion euros was announced on March 30, 2026 in Abidjan with Team Europe. It targets energy, transport, vocational training and agricultural value chains. To support his approach, the minister highlighted the macroeconomic solidity of the country, namely average growth of 6.5% over 2021-2025, inflation controlled at 0.1% in 2025 and three ratings with stable outlooks.Above all, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank consider the risk of Ivorian debt distress to be low since June 2026, a first for a sub-Saharan African country. This profile, according to him, justifies faster and more understandable cooperation. The stakes are considerable. The PND, endowed with 114,838.5 billion FCFA, expects 70.2% of its financing from the private sector. This explains the emphasis on business forums.

Abidjan offers Europe a measurable investment partnership. It is now a question of seeking to convert the envelope of one billion euros into visible projects, at the pace set by the common calendar.