News

On June 24 and 25, 2026, the celebrations for African Border Day took place in Papara, in northern Côte d'Ivoire near the Malian border. This event was jointly organized by the Prefecture of Tengrela and the National Border Commission of Côte d'Ivoire (CNFCI), with support from the SECORCI 2 project, implemented by Coginta and funded by the European Union.

Established by the African Union to promote regional integration and the development of often isolated border areas, African Border Day aims to transform border zones into spaces of peace, security, and socio-economic development. This year's theme was "Sustainable Agriculture and Peaceful Conflict Management for the Socio-Economic Development of West African Border Areas."

More than 200 people participated in the various activities – including around 100 Malian nationals – in the presence of administrative authorities, local elected officials, traditional and religious leaders, representatives of civil society, and local peace committees. The highlights of this celebration included the mobilization of cross-border local peace committees, a capacity-building workshop, and discussions on the sustainable management of resources and the specific security challenges of border areas.

Following this meeting, the head of research and development at the CNFCI expressed hope that new recommendations would emerge for strengthened cross-border cooperation, improved social cohesion, and joint management of development and security challenges. In the Tengrela department, where significant challenges related to cross-border mobility, natural resource management, and conflict prevention exist, this celebration provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen dialogue between Ivorian and Malian communities.