The low-carbon strategy in Côte d’Ivoire

Which effects of climate change are already observable in Côte d’Ivoire today?

Climate change has had multiple effects in Côte d’Ivoire: rising temperatures and sea levels, coastal zone erosion… One of the most impacted sectors is agriculture, which suffers from the disruption of season cycles. Less precipitation means less yield. This has a great impact on cocoa production, with Côte d’Ivoire being the top producer globally. As a result, our food safety is threatened, parts of the population may fall into poverty, and climate migrations are more likely. Practical action needs to be conducted to limit the impact of climate change and its ever-increasing cost.

What are Côte d’Ivoire’s objectives in the fight against climate change?

The fight against climate change is one of our priorities, and we are looking to enhance Ivory Coast’s climate performance. In the context of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), we are committed to reducing greenhouse gases by 30.41% by 2030, or 37 million tons of CO2. To achieve this climate ambition, we are targeting greenhouse gas emissions with measures implemented in the sectors of energy, waste management, agriculture, and forestry.

In addition to reducing emissions, we are also taking an adaptative approach: the objective is to increase climate resilience in five priority sectors: agriculture, soil management, water management, health, and coastal zones.

To deploy this two-fold set of objectives, we will improve performance monitoring and evaluation to measure our efforts and emission levels as accurately as possible.

How does the Low-Carbon Transition project assist the Ivorian government in these issues?

This project is being implemented as multiple challenges must be met to enhance Côte d’Ivoire’s climate performance. It will help us create national cross-sectoral coordination for climate action, aimed at deploying NDCs efficiently. This coordination will provide strategic guidelines, facilitate better decision-making and create synergies. Then, through the Low-Carbon Transition project, we will further integrate policies targeting climate change issues, across and within sectors. We will also be able to set up an efficient monitoring system, that is necessary for the proper implementation of these actions. Lastly, the project will allow us to develop an information and communication strategy to talk about what is being done in the fight against climate change.

How will you raise awareness and foreground the issue of climate change in civil society?

Our joint effort with Expertise France will facilitate the strengthening of national actors’ capacities, through a participatory and inclusive approach. The notion of climate change, and all the themes that are associated with it, must be understood and internalized by all: institutional, political, and non-state actors. To do so, it is necessary to mobilize and coordinate stakeholders through awareness-raising. We will receive technical assistance from the agency on this point, through educational programs for instance. The idea is to develop a synergy between all actors to work towards reaching climate goals that were fixed by the country and make this low-carbon transition effective.

Interview conducted in May 2024.