The World Bank group has approved about $120 million to finance the Urban Development and Competitiveness of Secondary Cities (PIDUCAS) Infrastructure Project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The project will create an appropriate ecosystem and an enabling environment for the growth of local enterprises and for making cities more attractive to investors and workers.
The Ivorian Government aims to start with the cities of Bouaké and San Pedro, which ranked respectively second and third most competitive cities, among the country’s 14 districts, immediately behind Abidjan. The two cities are also identified as key nodes for strategic development
“[…] a new model of solidarity-based development is needed through a network of more competitive secondary cities that can support investment, growth and poverty reduction across the country.
Côte d’Ivoire has recorded strong growth performance since 2012. To make it sustainable, a new inclusive development model will require more competitive secondary cities to support investment, growth, and poverty reduction throughout the country,” explained Pierre Laporte, the World Bank Country Director for Côte d’Ivoire.
The development of secondary economic centers is one key priority of the Government’s new “Plan National de Développement” (PND) for the 2016-2020 period.
The funds will be made available by the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank institution that helps the world’s poorest countries.