- The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) today inaugurated its regional office for West and Central Africa in Abidjan. This important step underlines IFAD's commitment to decentralisation and improving its operational effectiveness. Since 2018, IFAD has been reforming its business model to increase proximity to rural communities and facilitate more impactful investments in line with Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2.
"We are deeply grateful to the Government of Côte d'Ivoire for its unconditional support and commitment to the establishment of this office. This is why we remain convinced that the creation of this regional office will bring IFAD closer to the countries it serves, strengthen the impact of funded programmes and catalyse increased collaboration and mutual engagement with governments and our partners," said Mr Guoqi Wu, Associate Vice-President in charge of IFAD's Corporate Services Department.
IFAD's regional office, set up in February 2022, works in close collaboration with governments to boost the growth and profitability of rural production. To this end, IFAD supports multiple projects and programmes, offering training, encouraging rural entrepreneurship, mainstreaming our work with young people and promoting adaptation to climate change. To date, IFAD has supported a total of 54 programmes in the region, benefiting 11 million people, for a total value of more than US$5.2 billion.
"Thanks to the regional office and its presence in Abidjan, IFAD will be able to expand existing cooperation with governments and catalyse strong collaboration between public and private investors to benefit rural communities, particularly youth and women," said Bernard Hien, IFAD Regional Director, West and Central Africa.
The regional office for West and Central Africa is one of two IFAD regional offices in sub-Saharan Africa and covers 24 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Agriculture contributes nearly 50 per cent of GDP in West and Central Africa, and provides the main source of income for rural people. About 70 per cent of IFAD-supported projects take place in marginalized and ecologically fragile environments and targets the poorest population groups.
