If you hear “debt-for-development swap,” do you think of financial spreadsheets and policy negotiations? Most people do. But what if we told you it’s actually about kids getting new classrooms? About governments freeing up money to invest in their people? About turning an abstract financial concept into something that actually matters? That was our mission.
The challenge? We needed to make a highly technical operation not just understandable, but inspiring.
The first-of-its-kind debt swap supported by the World Bank Group was a game-changer for Côte d’Ivoire—a country navigating high debt payments while trying to invest in its future. This innovative operation is helping the country replace expensive debt with cheaper financing, freeing up funds to build schools for more than 30,000 students.
We set out to launch a campaign that made people care—one that cut through the noise and told a powerful story, while building knowledge on how the World Bank is supporting innovative financing solutions to help countries manage debt while investing in key sectors. We wanted to do this by:
We didn’t plan to go viral—we planned to be awesome :) We knew that our audience ranged from policymakers and economists to CSOs, influencers, and key stakeholders in Côte d’Ivoire and Africa West, so we needed a bold, engaging approach that spoke to all of them, using tailored content and strategies to reach each group effectively. This is what we did:
📊 Breaking it down. The visual that said it all: Instead of drowning people in numbers, we produced a one-glance explainer—a data-driven yet human-centered infographic designed to educate through data storytelling that made the debt swap instantly understandable and became the pillar content of the campaign.
💻 A digital home: We focused on creating a unified, multi-platform approach, with a campaign landing page that served as a space where people could learn, explore, and engage. It brought everything together in one place, balancing engaging storytelling with technical depth, offering clear visuals for broad audiences and detailed resources for experts.
📢 Social media activation: Education is something everyone cares about, which is why we took a broad, strategic approach and focused on how this operation was about unlocking opportunity for Côte d’Ivoire's youth.
💬 Putting people first: We produce a feature story that put people at the center. With only 1 in 10 children in preschool and rural schools struggling to keep up, the story highlighted how millions in debt savings will help Côte d’Ivoire meet the demand and give more children a strong start in school. It showcased voices of school leaders, parents relieved to have safe preschools, and officials committed to scaling these efforts.
🎤 Bringing in the Heavy Hitters: A deal this big needed a strong voice, that’s why we worked with World Bank top leadership to amplify the message, getting them actively talking about it on social media, in media interviews, and at high-level events. We also engaged key voices beyond the Bank, including finance ministers who championed the initiative, country directors, and key development leaders who reinforced its global relevance.
🌍 A model for the future: From the start, we designed our launch to be more than just one country’s story, it was about setting a precedent. By making this debt swap understandable and relatable, we showcased how countries, with the support of the World Bank Group, can use smart financial solutions to invest in their future.
Launched on December 6, 2024, here's what we’ve achieved:
💻 The campaign hub attracted the right people—policymakers, economists, and development experts from the region. In just a few days after launch, the page reached more than 2.5K visits, all through 100% organic engagement. Most importantly, document downloads related to the debt swap increased by 25% after the launch, showing that people weren’t just reading—they were actively seeking deeper insights.
🚀 We took off on social media generating more than 1.6K engagements and driving over 260 online mentions. Top platforms included World Bank Facebook, Instagram, and Africa X. French content helped bring the campaign closer to Africa West, amplifying engagement through Banque Mondiale Afrique, Banque Mondiale Instagram and X, with strong traction in Côte d’Ivoire.
📢 Influencer & community engagement: Key voices turned a technical topic into a conversation. World Bank leaders Anna Bjerde and Axel van Trotsenburg used their thought leadership to drive engagement from top global decision-makers. From our regional engagement, Nigerian influencer Kalu Aja joined in, suggesting this model could work for Nigeria, while Ivorian influencer Mamadou Koulibaly, highlighted Côte d’Ivoire’s leadership in adopting this approach. These are just some of many examples showing that the campaign didn’t just inform—it got people thinking and talking.
📰 Earned media coverage expanding the conversation across development and finance spaces. Headlines included “World Bank ventures into debt swaps with Ivory Coast education deal” (Reuters), “Ivory Coast turns to World Bank to replace costly debt” (Financial Times), and more in African media.
