Interview:Nicolas de Roquefeuil How would you assess the performance of the construction sector over the last two years? NICOLAS DE ROQUEFEUIL: The sector recorded growth of 18% in 2021 after a temporary setback in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Development is continuing apace in Côte d'Ivoire, which has positively impacted all construction and development segments. Many operators are…
Interview:Laurent Loukou What needs to be done to develop aviation in the West Africa region further? LAURENT LOUKOU: Air transport is more expensive in West Africa than other regions of the world because of high production costs resulting from a combination of monopolies and the taxes imposed on airlines that operate in West Africa. A regional solution is needed to reduce these costs…
Interview:Siandou Fofana What concrete steps should be taken to position Côte d’Ivoire as a leading tourist destination? SIANDOU FOFANA: Côte d’Ivoire’s ambition is to make the country one of the top-five destinations in Africa and to increase tourism’s contribution to GDP from 7.3% in 2019 to 10% by 2025. To that end, the government is committed to bringing in a total of 4.2m visitors…
Interview:Pierre Dimba How will the ministry work to strengthen the health sector in the coming years? PIERRE DIMBA: The plan is to position Côte d’Ivoire as a leading medical destination in West Africa by 2025 and provide advanced services in specific fields such as oncology and cardiology. We also intend to improve the efficiency and performance of the entire medical system, especially second-…
Interview:Moussa Diaby In which sectors could research and development (R&D) efforts have the greatest impact? MOUSSA DIABY: Côte d’Ivoire has four centres of excellence, two of which are housed at our institute. One is focused on environmental issues, while the other is concentrated on the recovery of waste and the creation of value-added products. Targeting specific areas is important…
Interview:Joachim Bilé-Aka Which provisions should be put in place to improve the legal framework for investment? JOACHIM BILÉ-AKA: The current legal framework for investment can certainly be improved, but it must be well adapted for both foreign and domestic investors if we are to hope for an even greater increase in private investment. Ensuring greater transparency of tendering procedures…
Viewpoint:Éric N’guessan In recent years Côte d’Ivoire has been engaged in a structural reform of the tax and legal system, along with the dematerialisation of tax and Customs procedures. This digitisation of public services has gone far in reducing delays in the creation of new companies and promoting transparency in administrative procedures. Finance Law 2022 increased the tax credit…
West Africa is experiencing a higher rate of inflation due to lingering pandemic-related challenges, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Constraints on commodity supply chains have dramatically increased the price of several goods, such as food and energy. Meanwhile, sanctions on Russian exports, especially oil and gas, are likely to push global prices higher, making it more…
The government has introduced several new policies to enhance the country’s industrial sector and, in turn, enable private and foreign investors to enter the market. While agro-industry remains the country’s largest industrial segment, the authorities plan to develop other industries and export sectors as the country’s population becomes increasingly urbanised. Industrial Development The National…
While many countries worldwide signalled a shift towards economic recovery in late 2021 and into 2022 after the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Côte d’Ivoire appears to have weathered the global crisis better than many. The country’s GDP expanded by 2% in 2020 and 7% in 2021; by comparison, global GDP contracted by 3.1% in 2020 and grew by 6.1% in 2021, according to the IMF. Côte d’Ivoire’s…
