DRC-IVORY COAST COOPERATION
Promoting the cocoa sector in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast, world leader in cocoa with its 2 million tonnes per year, now agree on the local processing of beans to capture the added value on the continent and to conquer their own market by stimulating internal consumption to nearly 1.4 billion consumers while placing emphasis on the acceleration of the Inga project, which remains a royal road and essential driver for stable energy for realize this industrial ambition.
These two countries also agree to strengthen strategies to deal with the volatility of world cocoa prices, they have laid the foundations of an alliance to counter a common threat, which is the proliferation of industrial substitution products in the West; but also, the DRC will benefit from Ivorian expertise on the structuring of local cooperatives, as part of the protection and support of cocoa producers.
Outcomes of the strategic meeting this Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in Abidjan between the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya and the Ivorian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, Ibrahim Kalil Konaté, surrounded by their respective experts, on the sidelines of the signing of the International Cocoa Agreement-ICCO
This Wednesday, Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya will be received at the headquarters of the African Development Bank-AfDB.