Nialé Kaba hails opening of ebid's first office in côte d’ivoire

Abidjan, May 14, 2025 – Nialé Kaba, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Development, welcomed the signing, on Monday, May 12, 2025, at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire, of the host country agreement between the Ivorian government and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID).

This marks the establishment of the first EBID representative office in Côte d’Ivoire. Minister Nialé Kaba, while expressing her gratitude to Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, President of EBID, assured him of the government's strong commitment to making this office a reference platform in the West African sub-region. This move, she emphasized, reflects Côte d’Ivoire’s regional leadership and confirms the country's attractiveness.

According to her, the signing of this agreement is a concrete step in implementing one of the key pillars of EBID’s institutional reform launched in 2023, aimed at rethinking its organizational approach and strengthening its recognition.

Léon Kacou Adom, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Ivorians Abroad, reiterated Côte d’Ivoire’s commitment to the ideals and values of strong regional economic integration, which is essential for addressing the major challenges facing West Africa.

For Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, the choice of Côte d’Ivoire to host EBID’s second representative office—after the one in Togo—is justified by the country's steady economic growth since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an average GDP growth rate of 6.3% between 2022 and 2024. Furthermore, Côte d’Ivoire is a key strategic partner of EBID, as it is the bank’s third-largest shareholder.

It is worth noting that EBID’s commitments to Côte d’Ivoire amounted to CFAF 567.60 billion as of the end of 2024, spread across 51 projects in various sectors, including the 2PAI Nord agro-industrial project and the Kanawolo-Korhogo road project.