Côte d’Ivoire and ITFC sign $750m trade finance framework supporting development plan

Côte d’Ivoire and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) have signed a US$750 million framework agreement intended to support priority sectors under the country’s national development plan. The agreement is part of a broader programme to improve access to trade financing, food supplies, energy and private-sector investment.

The new framework is three times the size of the US$250 million agreement the parties signed in 2023. It was formalised during the Islamic Development Bank Group annual meetings in Baku, with Côte d’Ivoire’s planning and development minister Souleymane Diarrassouba and ITFC chief executive Adeeb Yousuf Al Aama participating in the engagement.

According to the corporation’s statement, the sectors envisaged include energy security, strategic agricultural exports, food security, healthcare supply chains and private-sector trade finance. These are areas where the ability to pay suppliers, purchase inputs and move goods can determine whether industrial and service-sector projects can operate reliably.

A framework agreement establishes intended areas and an envelope for cooperation; it is not itself proof that the full US$750 million has been drawn down, allocated to named companies or converted into completed projects. Individual financing arrangements still require transaction preparation and the relevant approvals, terms and compliance checks.

The partnership also connects to Côte d’Ivoire’s larger 2026–2030 development plan, which is expected to rely substantially on private investment. The ITFC facility represents a distinct trade-financing relationship and should not be conflated with the total investment needed for that plan.

For importers and exporters, the practical opportunity will depend on which qualified institutions administer the financing, which products and transactions are eligible and what repayment and guarantee terms apply. Future disclosures on actual disbursements, beneficiaries and sector results will determine how much of the framework reaches the intended economic activities.

Sources: ITFC official framework agreement announcement and its conference report. Featured image: original ITFC photograph of the signing.