Socio-Economic Context
Côte d’Ivoire, a lower-middle-income country of 29.4 million people, is among the fastest-growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, with GDP growth averaging over 6% between 2012 and 2024, nearly double the continental average. Growth has been driven by agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and governance reforms. Agriculture contributes 23% of GDP and employs over 60% of the workforce, making the country the world’s leading cocoa producer and a major exporter of cashew, rubber, palm oil, and coffee.
Yet structural challenges persist, poverty affects 46% of the population, malnutrition impacts 23% of children under five, and gender inequality remains high, with women facing barriers to land, finance, and political representation. Youth unemployment is also pressing, with 19% of young people not in education, employment, or training. Climate change further threatens food security, as Côte d’Ivoire has lost over 80% of its forest cover since 1960, exacerbating land degradation and biodiversity loss.
To address these issues, the Government’s National Development Plan (2021–2025) prioritizes human capital, poverty reduction, and climate resilience, aiming for upper-middle-income status by 2030.
SSTC Engagement
Côte d’Ivoire has emerged as an African champion of SSTC in nutrition, food security, and institutional capacity building. High-level political commitment, anchored at the Presidency and Vice-Presidency, has translated into regional public goods and continental advocacy. Côte d’Ivoire spearheaded the political process that declared 2022 the African Year of Nutrition and led to the Abidjan Declaration, marking a continental consensus on stronger investment and coordination for nutrition and food security.
At the institutional level, the Government established CERFAM in 2018 as a continental hub for SSTC, operating under the Vice-President’s authority. CERFAM mobilizes governments, UN agencies, academia, civil society, and the private sector to scale up proven practices in areas such as home-grown school feeding, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and climate-resilient food systems. Côte d’Ivoire’s global engagement is equally strong, as an early member of the SUN Movement and an active voice in high-level fora such as the Nutrition for Growth Summit. To further incentivize action, the Government launched the “CERFAM Prize for Excellence” in 2025, recognizing outstanding initiatives that advance the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Together, these efforts demonstrate how strong political ownership can drive regional progress, global partnerships, and sustainable solutions.
Within Côte d’Ivoire, CERFAM has played a pivotal role in strengthening the capacities of smallholder farmers in the northern regions, with a particular focus on empowering women-led cooperatives through training in sustainable agricultural practices and market linkages to school feeding programmes. These interventions have not only improved food security and livelihoods but have also positioned Côte d’Ivoire as a provider of scalable, context-specific solutions for peer countries across Africa. Through its SSTC engagements, Cote d’Ivoire, continues to foster innovation, mutual learning, and regional solidarity, particularly in the below areas.
Technical Expertise & Capacities
School Meals
Through CERFAM, Côte d’Ivoire has supported several African countries to strengthen nationally owned school feeding systems that connect to local agricultural markets. In Liberia, the Centre worked with the Government to integrate local food procurement into school canteens, reinforcing the Ministry of Education’s efforts to link agriculture and education. In the Republic of Congo, support to cassava and banana value chains was coupled with school feeding initiatives to reduce post-harvest losses while improving children’s access to nutritious meals. Within Côte d’Ivoire, CERFAM has partnered with the Ministry of National Education and Literacy to enhance linkages between smallholder farmer cooperatives and school canteens, placing particular emphasis on empowering women-led groups.
Nutrition and Food Security
Côte d’Ivoire’s leadership extends to national nutrition policy and cross-country support. In Chad, CERFAM worked with the Ministry of Health and partners to shape the national nutrition strategy, introducing innovations such as MANISA flour derived from local products to improve diets and food security. In Guinea, the Centre facilitated exchanges on rice value chain development and nutrition-sensitive agriculture, directly complementing the Government’s agricultural investment plans. Regionally, Côte d’Ivoire also promotes nutrition and food security through its commitment to the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and high-level advocacy in continental fora, with Presidential and Vice-Presidential leadership anchoring nutrition in multi-sectoral governance frameworks. By collaborating with governments across Africa, including Benin, Togo, and Angola, Côte d’Ivoire is translating national commitment into practical regional public goods.
Climate Resilience
The Government of Côte d’Ivoire has placed food security and climate resilience at the centre of its national agenda. Through the “Programme National d’Investissement Agricole” II (2018–2025), it is modernizing production systems, promoting sustainable practices, and strengthening market access, with the National Rice Development Strategy targeting self-sufficiency by 2025 and regional export capacity by 2030. These efforts have been reinforced by international and SSTC, including partnerships with AfricaRice, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), and WFP-supported initiatives that have introduced improved rice varieties, innovative technologies, and climate-smart practices with significant yield gains.
In collaboration with WFP, CERFAM, China’s Centre of Excellence, and other partners, Côte d’Ivoire has advanced practical solutions across the rice value chain, from training over 1,200 farmers to deploying 600 modern mini-silos that reduce post-harvest losses. These initiatives are embedded in national strategies and complemented by gender-sensitive approaches, farmer capacity building, and policy dialogue. Côte d’Ivoire’s leadership demonstrates how government-led action, supported by SSTC, can strengthen food sovereignty, build climate-adaptive food systems, and provide scalable models for other countries.
Institutions Involved
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – leads PNIA II and rice development strategy.
- National Food Security Council – coordinates food security programmes.
- Ministry of Education – Leads the School Feeding programme via the Directorate of School Canteens.
- National Nutrition Council – oversees multi-sectoral nutrition plans.
- Regional Centre of Excellence against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM) – hub for SSTC, knowledge management and technical cooperation.
SSTC Modalities
- Study visits
- Virtual trainings
- In-person trainings
- In-field visits in recipient countries
- Policy dialogues / regional seminars
SSTC examples & case studies
Cote d'Ivoire & Home Grown School Feeding
School Meals
Smallholder Support
2018-present
Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea: Rice Production Knowledge Exchange
Climate Resilience
Food Security
2021-2025