Air Côte d'Ivoire (HF, Abidjan) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to explore aircraft acquisition financing, as well as pilot and technician training and sustainable aviation initiatives, the parties announced in a joint statement.

The agreement was signed in Abidjan on January 23 by Air Côte d’Ivoire CEO Laurent Loukou and Mike Salawou, the AfDB’s director for infrastructure and urban development.

Apart from exploring financing solutions for aircraft acquisitions, the parties will look at a potential West African aviation training centre for pilots and mechanics, and advance initiatives such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

"This holistic scheme will enhance access to affordable financing for African airlines’ fleet expansion and renewal, thereby supporting green aviation," Loukou commented.

It was hailed as "an early milestone" under the bank’s Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme (IATP), aimed at modernising Africa’s aviation sector. The partnership also aligns with continental priorities such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Single African Air Transport Market, the African Continental Free Trade Area, and the AfDB’s 2024-2033 strategy, the statement said.