A new milestone has been reached for food safety in Côte d'Ivoire. The European Union (EU) has officially launched an institutional twinning project worth €1.5 million (approximately 984 million CFA francs) . This initiative aims to thoroughly restructure the system for controlling food products of animal origin in the country.

A strategic European partnership over 30 months

This project, which runs from November 15, 2025 to May 15, 2028 , is part of a larger package: the Support Programme for Sustainable Forestry and Agri-food Systems in Côte d'Ivoire (PASSAD) , globally funded to the tune of 22 million euros by the EU.

To carry out this modernization, Ivory Coast is joining a large European consortium led by France , alongside Spain and Austria .

The three main axes of the project:

1. Modernization of the Ivorian legislative and regulatory framework.
2. Optimizing the governance of national veterinary services.
3. Strengthening the technical capacities of professionals in the sector.

Protecting the consumer and boosting the economy

During the launch ceremony, Assoumany Gouromenan, Chief of Staff and representative of the Minister of Animal and Fisheries Resources, Sidi Tiémoko Touré, recalled the importance of this program:

"Strengthening veterinary services means strengthening the state's capacity to protect populations."

This collaboration will not only improve public health but also strengthen the economic competitiveness of Ivorian livestock sectors in regional and international markets. David Ané, representing the Prime Minister's Office, welcomed the opportunity to directly benefit from the expertise of European veterinary administrations.

Towards international standards and the "One Health" approach

Martina Borovac Pecarevic, representative of the EU, stressed that this project is fully in line with the global vision of "One Health" , which interconnects human, animal and environmental health.

For her part, France's Deputy Director General for Food, Marie-Christine Le Gal, specified that the strengthening of controls will take place across the entire production chain, facilitating the export of Ivorian products.

A first concrete step: On the sidelines of the launch, the Directorate of Veterinary Services and Animal Welfare (DSVBA) of Ivory Coast and the Directorate General for Food (DGAL) of France signed a declaration of intent to seal their technical cooperation.

The ultimate goal, by May 2028, is to fully align the Ivorian control system with the international requirements of the Codex Alimentarius and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) .