Côte d’Ivoire’s government has adopted a decree ratifying a loan agreement of 189.6 million euros, or 124.369 billion CFA francs, with the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for lower-income countries, to finance the Skills for Innovation, Resilience and Aspirations project, government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly said after a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday in Abidjan-Plateau. The agreement was signed on July 8, 2026.
The financing covers the first phase of the programme, which follows a multi-phase programmatic approach. “This project aims to promote access for young people and workers to quality vocational training programmes in order to improve employment outcomes and production quality in priority sectors,” Coulibaly said.
According to him, the funds will be used to modernise labour market information, notably by making operational the digital platform of the National Observatory for Employment and Training (ONEF), and to support investments by the Vocational Training Development Fund (FDFP) in shared-equipment centres with modern technical equipment and specialised trainers. The programme also provides for expanding internships and structured apprenticeships for out-of-school and unemployed young people, he added.
The project is part of the regional SIRA programme, approved on June 23 by the World Bank Group’s board, with a first-phase envelope of $642 million shared between Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. According to the institution, the programme is expected to reach about 5.4 million young people across the three countries, including more than 900,000 in Côte d’Ivoire, and to support the 2026-2030 National Development Plan.
Youth employment remains a challenge for authorities. According to official data from the 2019 National Employment Survey, nearly three in 10 young people are not in employment, education or training. The government launched a national youth employment and job-placement strategy in 2021 that aims to help more than 3.4 million young people gain lasting jobs.
The World Bank has long financed youth employment programmes in the country. Its president, Ajay Banga, announced in October 2024, during a visit to Abidjan, that the institution was ready to invest at least $250 million more in vocational training, on top of $150 million allocated to the Youth Employment and Skills Development Project.