Official visit to PADFA headquarters in Korhogo by the President of IFAD

On an official visit to Côte d'Ivoire from October 17 to 21, 2022, Mr. Alvaro Lario, seventh President of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) since its creation in 1977l, took advantage of his stay in Côte d'Ivoire to carry out a trip to Korhogo to visit the Support Program for the Development of Agricultural Sectors (PADFA) co-financed by IFAD, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Government and the beneficiaries in order to see for themselves how the participants have improved their living conditions and to talk with them about the difficulties they face.

Thus, Alvaro Lario and a delegation from the IFAD Regional Office visited, on Friday, October 21, 2022, several infrastructures in Ferkessédougou and Korhogo to reassure themselves of the impact of the financing of the financial institution on the lives of women and young people.

In Ferkessédougou, the President and his delegation discussed with the staff of the mango factory “Ivoire Tahanman Industrie Agroalimentaire” (ITIA – SARL). Thanks to the support of IFAD to this private structure, ITIA – SARL was able to strengthen its production capacities and those of five mango drying units, the export of its processed products, as well as the cooperatives of affiliated producers.

The President's delegation went that same day to Nambéguévogo, where the group of women market gardeners, the Wobin Association of the village, achieved feats with the support of PADFA: with a yield of 20 tons of onion, it increased to 36 tons. Similarly, turnover increased from 4 million to 9 million with know-how such as weighing and negotiating with onion buyers.

The visit ended with the dam and the perimeter of Sologo in the Sub-Prefecture in Tiorognaradougou. Thanks to the support of PADFA, the yield of rice farmers in the perimeter of the dam increased from 3 t/ha to 6 t/ha. The dam rehabilitation works are at a level of progress of 67% and the development of this perimeter of an amount of 3.2 billion FCFA will impact 6 villages, i.e. 13,000 households and 67,000 direct beneficiaries. It is also the creation of 1,000 direct local jobs for the rural populations neighboring the perimeter of Sologo.

As a reminder, PADFA is co-financed by the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the Government and the direct beneficiaries for a total amount of US$71.7 million or 43.8 billion FCFA