Cote d'Ivoire Agri-Food Sector Development Project

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The proposed project is designed to address key constraints and provide critical public goods to stimulate greater private sector participation in the food crop sector. It targets the fast and inclusive development of the country’s priority food crop value chains for which the domestic and regional/international markets offer large opportunities for growth, value addition and employment, in particular for women (including in up-stream and downstream activities) and by providing a support for the development of a vibrant rural economy.This new operation is fully aligned with Government’s agricultural development strategy and the priorities of its National Agricultural Investment Plan 2 – (PNIA II) as well as with the CPF and the regional priorities of the WBG which supports economic transformation through greater private sector investments, including critical agricultural value chains. The project is also in line with the WBG COVID-19 Crisis Response Strategy.The overall objective of the project is to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of food value chains. The project will specifically aim to improve the means of production, in particular access to quality seeds, agricultural advice, mechanization and irrigation infrastructure. It will contribute to the development of market infrastructures to support the marketing of fresh and processed products with particular attention to better management of food safety aspects. Support will also be provided for the establishment of financing mechanisms adapted to the activities of the various segments in the targeted value chains in order to promote entrepreneurship in the targeted food value chains. It will also support capacity building for actors in targeted sectors.The project will comprise the following components: (i) Improving the business environment and institutional strengthening; (ii) Building productive and resilient agri-food value chains; (iii) Mobilizing productive private investments along the value chains; and (iv) Project Management and Coordination.