Ivory Coast is not only one of the most advanced countries in the West Africa, but also an important partner for the European Union. Although the country‘s economy is named as one of the strongest in the region, the country ranks only 155th out of 160 in terms of gender equality. Women earn almost half of what men do. Larger part of the country‘s economy is made up of the informal economy, in which women play the main role, but business in the informal sector is very vulnerable and does not provide a stable income. Women lack the competencies and knowledge to develop a business that provides them with a sustainable income.

During this project, women will be encouraged to participate in training to gain knowledge about the aquaponics systems, its use and business management. A group of women leaders will be trained, who will later be responsible for training other women, and two pilot aquaponics systems will be implemented. Based on the experience of the first year, in the second year the network of aquaponics systems will be expanded in various regions of the country. During the training, participants will be introduced to Lithuania‘s experience in implementing changes, the situation of women in the country, their role in political and economic life in order to enable women in Ivory Coast to become economically independent and contribute to positive changes in their living environment.