Massimo Scalorbi, the head of the European Union mission in Côte d'Ivoire, revealed that the European Union intends to allocate an additional €10 million ($10.7 million) to support the Food Sector Support Program.
According to a statement from the EU mission in Côte d'Ivoire, Scalorbi pointed out that the Food Sector Support Program, which began implementation in 2018, has already benefited from initial funding of over $21 million.
The program aims to stimulate the production and marketing of food products in Côte d'Ivoire.
The EU official said the EU created conditions favoring the most affected partner countries by food insecurity in recent years, explaining that this support is also part of the EU’s Global Gateway Initiative strategy, which seeks to enhance sustainable agricultural sectors in partner countries like Côte d'Ivoire.
It is worth mentioning that the European Commission launched its "Global Gateway" initiative in 2021, aiming to compete with the Chinese "Belt and Road Initiative," to expand the EU's commercial influence. The initiative primarily focuses on investing in infrastructure worldwide.
On the other hand, authorities in Côte d'Ivoire announced the discovery of the largest gold mine in the country after a few months of operating a massive oil and gas field.
Martino De Ciccio, president of the "Montage Gold" mining group, stated that "the mineral resources in this mine, which is the largest in the country to date, are estimated at around 5 million ounces, equivalent to 155.5 tons of gold, with an average grade of 0.72 grams per ton."
De Ciccio explained that this mine, or what is known as the "Koné Project," is expected to begin production by 2027.
According to the "Montage Gold" group, this project is expected to provide nearly 4,500 direct and indirect job opportunities.
It is worth noting that gold production in Côte d'Ivoire was estimated at around 50 tons in 2023, which significantly lags behind major gold producers in Africa such as Ghana, South Africa, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
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