Ivory Coast becomes the pivot of an American energy bet. Indeed, the Council of Ministers ratified, on August 5, 2026, a donation of 300 million dollars, or 171.65 billion FCFA, granted by the United States via the Millennium Challenge Corporation, to modernize its electricity network. This funding stems from the Regional Compact Program for Energy, signed on September 16, 2025 in Abidjan between Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and American representatives. It is structured around two complementary components. The first supports the operationalization of the second phase of the West African electrical energy exchange system, the backbone of the regional market managed by ECOWAS. The second finances the modernization of the Ivorian national network (equipment, infrastructure and management tools intended to make distribution more reliable and streamline cross-border interconnections). 

An energy hub under construction

To this American envelope is added an Ivorian contribution of at least 22.5 million dollars, bringing the overall budget of the program to more than 322 million dollars. For Abidjan, the issue goes beyond the simple renovation of infrastructure. The country, already a net exporter of electricity to Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Mali, intends to increase the volumes traded on the regional market while accelerating the connection of some 1.8 million Ivorian households still deprived of access to the network. This funding also marks the strong return of the Millennium Challenge Corporation to the continent, after months of budgetary uncertainty linked to cuts initiated in Washington. Its relaunch in Ivory Coast illustrates the American desire to remain present in the West African energy market, in a context of increased competition with other international partners in the sector.

It remains to transform this donation into concrete results. If the funding is now approved, the success of the bet will depend on the execution of the work and the country's ability to meet the schedule set with Washington.