Facing the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic in Côte d’Ivoire, EDF aimed to assist the youngest to preserve educational continuity and respond to the health emergency of the most vulnerable populations. This mobilization materializes through donations made possible by the Emergency and Solidarity Fund of the EDF Group Foundation, specifically created to address this crisis, and through the commitment of Zeci, EDF's Ivorian subsidiary.

EDF has supported, through donations and skills sponsorship, the Didier Drogba Foundation and the Women's Association of Port-Bouët with:

• 60 solar kits and several hundred solar backpacks provided to the Didier Drogba Foundation for electrifying schools in rural areas.
• A significant batch of masks, hydroalcoholic gels, soaps, and handwashing devices donated to the Women's Association of Port-Bouët.

Through the Emergency and Solidarity Fund, the EDF Group Foundation has provided assistance amounting to nearly 40 million CFA francs for the purchase of 80 solar kits in favor of the Women of Africa association and for electrifying health centers and schools in rural areas.

Through its foundation, the EDF Group has been involved since 1987 in improving living conditions and building a fairer society by supporting projects related to the environment, education, and inclusion. Several actions have already been undertaken in projects in Ivory Coast, notably with IECD (European Institute for Cooperation and Development) to train and reintegrate young people in rural areas into electricity-related professions.

By choosing to support Women of Africa and the Didier Drogba Foundation during this period, EDF has chosen to continue its commitment to access to energy and essential goods such as education and health. The donation of solar kits will allow students in schools located in unelectrified localities to access televised education implemented by the government, and the donation of COVID-19 prevention materials to the Women's Association of Port-Bouët will support populations in barrier gestures and pandemic prevention.

These donations were handed over by Mr. Mahamane SOW, CEO of EDF Ivory Coast, and Mr. Eric Lehouelleur, Director of ZECI, at EDF headquarters in Marcory on June 17, 2020, during a ceremony under the patronage of Mr. Abdourahmane CISSE, Minister of Petroleum, Energy, and Renewable Energies. In addition to the latter, Mr. François SPORRER, head of the economic service of the French embassy, and Mr. Didier DROGBA, in his capacity as president of the foundation bearing his name, were present.

During the ceremony, Mr. SOW recalled that EDF's raison d'être is to build a CO2-neutral energy future reconciling planet preservation, well-being, and development through electricity and innovative solutions and services. This raison d'être is expressed through the Group's daily actions to promote and implement, wherever it is present, a new energy model: less CO2-emitting, more efficient, more environmentally and socially respectful.

The CEO also took the opportunity to review the company's ongoing projects in Ivory Coast, such as the Biovéa biomass power plant for which the concession agreement was signed last December, and the partnership with Zola Electric leading to the creation of a joint venture - Zeci - now a leader in off-grid photovoltaic kits in Ivory Coast. Indeed, EDF aims to support the country in facing challenges such as access to electricity and increasing energy needs in a context of economic and demographic growth with all the Group's low-carbon energy solutions: centralized renewable production (such as hydropower, biomass, and solar parks) and decentralized solutions like Off-Grid (with the ZECI subsidiary).

The Minister of Petroleum, Energy, and Renewable Energies thanked EDF and praised this gesture of solidarity. He also invited EDF to further engage in this dynamic of responsible and committed business with populations.

As a major player in energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated energy company present in all areas: production, transportation, distribution, trading, energy sales, and energy services. As a world leader in low-carbon energies, the Group has developed a diversified production mix based on nuclear energy, hydropower, renewable new energies, and thermal energy. The Group provides energy and services to approximately 38.9 million customers, including 28.8 million in France. In 2019, EDF achieved consolidated revenue of 71 billion euros. EDF is a listed company on the Paris Stock Exchange.