On 31 July – 1 August 2025, Ms. Sasirit Tangulrat, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, together with Lieutenant Sorawud Preededilok, Minister attached to Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), led a delegation of agricultural experts from Kasetsart University, including Prof. Dr. Apichart Vanavichit, Advisor to the Director of the Rice Science Center; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chanate Malumpong, Associate Dean for Research, Academic Services, and International Relations, Faculty of Agriculture, Kamphaeng Saen Campus; and Mr. Thawatchai Koetsuk, Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation visited the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to promote Thailand – Côte d’Ivoire development cooperation in various dimensions.

During the visit, the Thai delegation held meetings with senior Ivorian officials, including H.E. Mr. Léon Kacou Adom, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Ivorians Abroad; H.E. Mr. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Food Crop Production; H.E. Mr. YAPI Koffi Evariste, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Ivorians Abroad; as well as senior executives from the Ministry of Public Health of Côte d’Ivoire.

Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in areas of shared priority, particularly public health and agriculture. Both sides agreed to pursue negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for collaboration in public health, covering knowledge exchange, pharmaceutical innovation, and the strengthening of universal healthcare systems. In the agricultural sector, cooperation will emphasize promoting food security, especially in rice and cassava production, supporting farmers’ income generation, and advancing the use of agricultural machinery tailored for smallholder farmers.

In addition, Lt. Sorawud led the Kasetsart University agricultural experts in discussions with Mr. Baboucarr Manneh, Director-General of AfricaRice, the continent’s rice research and development institution. The delegation also visited AfricaRice’s research center in Mbé, Bouaké, to observe the rice production process across the entire value chain and to present Thailand’s expertise in agriculture. The visit included exchanges with researchers and farmers, generating useful insights for future cooperation.

This visit is part of the follow-up to the Thailand–Africa Development Forum (TADF) held in May 2025. Thailand, as a development dialogue partner with African countries, reaffirmed its proactive role in knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and skill development in mutually agreed areas such as public health, food security, and environmental management.

The visit also marked an important milestone in advancing Thailand–Côte d’Ivoire bilateral relations, strengthening friendship and cooperation, especially as both countries prepare to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026.