“Catalysts for Change: Voices from TAP-EDM Partnerships” Series
In Côte d’Ivoire, short-term technical assistance through the TAP-EDM initiative supported the General Directorate for the Coordination of External Aid and Development (DGCOD) in strengthening international aid management. With support from Canadian experts, the team developed tools and strategies to improve coordination among partners and align interventions with national priorities. In this series, project partners reflect on how tailored expertise helped transform cooperation practices. The TAP program is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Alinea International.
Background
In 2022 Cote D’Ivoire received approximately USD 1.97 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA), showing just how important international aid is for the economy. But managing that much support is not easy. There are inherent challenges in aligning national priorities across multiple initiatives, with numerous partners, in many different sectors such as health, education, and agricultural development. To address the challenge of coordinating so many different initiative, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, within the national Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development, established the Direction Générale de la Coopération au Développement (DGCOD) in December 2023. The DGCOD was given a strengthened and clear mandate: to guide and coordinate external aid in line with national strategies and ensure that Côte d’Ivoire—not its partners—lead the cooperation agenda.
The TAP-EDM project worked with the DGCOD on two back-to-back initiatives aimed at improving how international cooperation is managed in Côte d’Ivoire. With support from Nexus Cooperation Inc, Canadian experts worked alongside the DGCOD to equip national actors with the tools, strategies, and approaches to guide international cooperation in their country. The most important outcome was not any single tool. It was the strengthened leadership of Ivorian professionals like Ibrahima Kofi. We spoke with Ibrahima, who was working with the DGCOD at the time, and agreed to share his story.
Ibrahima Kofi’s Story
Ibrahima Kofi was involved from the very beginning. As a civil servant within the Ministry, he helped write the original proposal to the Canadian Embassy—and remained engaged over the course of the first assignment. He also stayed involved after being promoted to a new role in a different ministry.
“For me, it was a great experience,” he said. At the outset, the DGCOD team faced a steep challenge: how to transform a broad mandate into a functional, pragmatic, plan. “Technically, we didn’t have the tools to establish a cooperation framework,” Ibrahima explained. “We didn’t have the necessary resources or the expertise.”
Through the initiative, and with the support of the Canadian experts, the team was able to take practical steps to filling those gaps
These steps took the form of a three-year Strategic Operational Plan, created collaboratively and rooted in national priorities. The plan gave DGCOD a structure to grow into, and a shared vision that continues to guide internal decisions and external dialogue with partners. Another major output was the development of a digital project tracking tool, designed to reinforce transparency and coordination.
“This tool will be the core of the cooperation framework,” he noted.
Ibrahima believes it will strengthen DGCOD’s coordination role and could eventually support the creation of a national framework for cooperation.
He emphasized that Canada played a leading role in making this happen:“Canada has been a pioneer in this regard”.
Ibrahima sees this as a first step with respect to managing and tracking cooperation as the DGCOD hopes to expand it to more partners in the future.
Conclusion
Aujourd’hui, Ibrahima occupe le poste de spécialiste en planification de l’éducation au sein du Programme de renforcement du système éducatif de base. Dans ce nouveau rôle, il continue d’appliquer les principes de coordination et d’harmonisation qu’il a appris et pratiqués à la DGCOD.
Pour lui, ce qui a fait la différence dans cette collaboration, ce n’est pas seulement l’apport technique des experts canadiens mobilisés par TAP-EDM, mais le modèle de partenariat mis en œuvre : un partenariat fondé sur la confiance, la co-création et le respect mutuel.
« Les experts n’ont pas seulement transmis des compétences techniques, conclut-il. Ils ont créé les conditions pour que des personnes comme moi puissent assumer des responsabilités et jouer un rôle moteur. »