The First Lady of Côte d'Ivoire, Dominique Ouattara, reaffirms her firm commitment to child protection. On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, she granted an audience at her office in Cocody to a delegation from the United Nations system, thus sealing the continuation of the joint ENACTE program ( Together to address the root causes of child labor ).

Led by Jean François Basse, UNICEF Resident Representative, the delegation also included officials from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A particularly positive first phase assessment

This meeting provided an opportunity to review the first phase of the program, implemented between July 2022 and June 2026 in the Nawa region (Southwest). The actions carried out on the ground are showing concrete results:

1. Reduction in prevalence: The rate of child labor has fallen from 31% to 21% in the intervention area.
2. Direct impact: While nearly 9,000 children were initially identified in the region's plantations, this number is now significantly lower.

"This means that this program is working," said Mr. Basse, while stressing the importance of consolidating these achievements.

The renewed support of the First Lady

In light of these major advances, Dominique Ouattara expressed his great satisfaction and officially agreed to sponsor the second phase of the program.

“I am proud of the result achieved. I am fully on board to sponsor the second phase of the program. And I am happy to know that we are on a downward trend with regard to child labor in the Nawa region. This is a great relief for me,” she said.

About the ENACTE program

The ENACTE program is distinguished by its integrated and multi-sectoral approach. It aims to eradicate the problem at its root by directly addressing rural poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and limited access to education.

Deployed in the departments of Soubré, Buyo and Méagui , the project structures its interventions around four essential pillars:

1. Child protection.
2. Strengthening the education system.
3. Improving access to civil registration.
4. The social inclusion of families.