Abidjan Metro: Is France Giving Côte d’Ivoire a €35 Million Gift?

The €35 million announced in August 2026 is not a gift paid into Côte d’Ivoire’s general budget, but guaranteed financing covered by two agreements signed by Adama Coulibaly and French ambassador Jean-Christophe Belliard. Most of the money will pay to relocate a wastewater collector obstructing Abidjan Metro’s Line 1; the remainder will fund four Agora community sports complexes in Guiglo, Dabou, Boundiali and Dimbokro. The metro, now estimated to cost nearly €1.8 billion, is financed in part by French concessional loans, including €250 million earmarked for Alstom trainsets, alongside commercial bank financing.