The Ivorian government officially launches this Friday, September 19, 2025, at the Abobo sports complex, the Development of Women’s Economic Initiatives and Capacities for their Empowerment (DICEFA) program. Under the theme “From commitment to action: investing in women for a prosperous Ivory Coast”, this initiative illustrates the government’s determination and the personal commitment of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Alassane OUATTARA, to make women’s empowerment a key lever for the sustainable and inclusive development of the country.
Based on the recommendations of the National Women’s Conference of Ivory Coast (ANAFCI), the DICEFA program is led by the Ministry of Women, Family and Child under the direction of Minister Nassénéba Touré. Its main objective is to strengthen women’s economic skills, facilitate their access to land ownership and financing, as well as support their entrepreneurial initiatives.
With a budget of 28 billion CFA francs for a 5-year implementation period (2025-2030), the DICEFA program includes the establishment of 20 modern agricultural transformation and extension centers to reduce post-harvest losses, valorize local products, and create centers of expertise. More than 10,500 women’s cooperatives in rural and peri-urban areas, as well as 200 processing companies, will directly benefit from this program. In total, 105,000 households and 525,000 individuals will be impacted.
For the launch, a budget of 1,547,000,000 CFA francs is allocated for the acquisition of inputs, agricultural tools, as well as production, processing, and marketing equipment, which will then be made available to women’s groups and associations. Additionally, a sum of 337,000,000 CFA francs will be directly granted to beneficiaries as financial support.
The DICEFA program fully aligns with the government’s strategy to modernize the agricultural sector and addresses national priorities for women’s economic empowerment and the fight against food insecurity. It also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 aiming to eradicate hunger, and SDG 5, which promotes gender equality and women’s access to economic resources.
