APA-Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) The mobilization of 616 billion FCFA for the financing of the policy
Côte d'Ivoire's forest, which should allow the country to reach 20% of forest cover by
2030 was launched on Monday in Abidjan, in the presence of members of the government and partners
technical and financial, APA noted on the spot in the Ivorian economic capital.
This launch took place as a prelude to the round table scheduled for January 16, 2020 in Abidjan for the mobilization
financing for the implementation of the country Preservation, Rehabilitation and Extension of Forests (SPREF).
"We want to save the Ivorian forest, we want to gain lost ground (...)," explained the minister
of water and forests, Alain Richard Donwahi, noting the "worrying situation of the Ivorian forest" in
presence of his colleagues Sidi Touré (Minister of Communication and Media) and Claude Isaac Dé (Minister
to the Prime Minister, in charge of the coordination of major projects).
The Strategy for the Preservation, Rehabilitation and Extension of Forests (SPREF) for the period 2019-2030
will require the mobilization of a minimum budget of 616 billion FCFA of which 37% will be financed by the State
ivorian.
The disbursement already of 4 billion FCFA off budget last year for this sector, denotes the interest and
commitment at the highest level of the State, stressed the Minister of Water and Forests.
Côte d'Ivoire aims to regain a forest cover rate of 20% by 2030, i.e 3 million hectares of reforestation.
"By 2030, we want to reach 6 million forest cover and 8 million forest cover by 2045
" added Alain Richard Dowahi who announced as part of this project the planting of one million trees on br November 15 throughout the Ivorian territory on the occasion of the National Day of Peace.
On behalf of the technical and financial partners, Emmanuel Debroise, Country Director of Agence Française
de développement (AFD) has assured donor support for this government
Ivorian. "You can count on the mobilization of your partners" and their "financial and
technical," he told Minister Donwahi.
In the same vein, Tim Mc Coy, Vice President of the World Cocoa Foundation welcomed this "vision
bold" of the Ivorian government through its Strategy for Preservation, Rehabilitation and Extension
forests (SPREF).
Continuing, he announced that the contribution of cocoa actors will be known soon after a
evaluation. Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest cocoa producer, produces nearly 2 million tonnes of
beans.
From 16 million hectares of forests to independence, the residual forest area of Côte d
represented more than 3.4 million hectares in 2015. The most optimistic projections predict
total disappearance of the Ivorian natural forest by 2030.