Côte d’Ivoire mobilizes 13.5 billion CFA francs for forest restoration in five central regions
Côte d’Ivoire has launched a 13.5 billion CFA franc ($24 million) additional financing program to restore forest cover and strengthen the climate resilience of about 30,000 people across five regions in the center of the country.
The financing is part of the Côte d’Ivoire component of the Integrated Development and Climate Change Adaptation Program in the Niger Basin (PIDACC/BN), jointly supported by the Ivorian government and the African Development Bank. The new phase was officially launched on Sept. 16 in Bouaké.
The two-year program covers the Bélier, N’Zi, Moronou and Iffou regions, as well as the autonomous district of Yamoussoukro. The areas are part of the former cocoa-growing belt, where forest degradation and soil depletion have become major environmental challenges.
The program plans to produce nearly 7 million forest seedlings, establish 6,000 hectares of agroforestry, restore about 3,000 hectares of forest plantations and develop more than 2,000 hectares of wooded firebreaks.
About 8 billion CFA francs will be allocated to forest restoration, while 4 billion CFA francs will support agricultural value chains including cassava, market gardening, perennial crops, livestock and processing. A further 1.2 billion CFA francs will cover coordination, management and institutional support.
The initiative is also expected to create more than 6,000 direct green jobs and contribute to the sequestration of about 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over 30 years, according to program figures.
The financing package includes an approximately 3.85 billion CFA franc loan from the African Development Fund, a 7.05 billion CFA franc loan from the Climate Investment Funds' Strategic Climate Fund and a 1.06 billion CFA franc grant, alongside a contribution from the Ivorian government.
The launch also included the distribution of 100 tricycles to groups involved in seedling production and 23 motorcycles to rural facilitators. The equipment is intended to improve the transport of seedlings and strengthen monitoring of activities in the field.
The additional financing comes as Côte d’Ivoire continues efforts to restore degraded forests and strengthen the resilience of rural communities facing the effects of environmental degradation and climate change.
