The economic situation in UEMOA remained favourable in 2018. The region’s average GDP growth was 6.6%, the seventh consecutive year above 6%, and the average annual inflation rate was 0.9%, compared to 1.1% the previous year. However, with strong capital spending and trade terms turning unfavourable following a rise in global oil prices, this was accompanied by a high fiscal deficit, estimated…
As providers operating in Côte d’Ivoire’s insurance sector look for strategies to increase their market penetration, much focus is being directed to the role that product innovation could play in boosting demand. Product diversification is primarily led by the private sector; however, upcoming regulatory changes mean the segment is set to be advanced by the public sector. Côte d’Ivoire’s…
Alongside the development of generation capacity, much of the energy sector’s priorities in recent years have revolved around improving transmission and distribution. Although Côte d’Ivoire has one of the largest electricity networks in West Africa, expanding access and efficiency has at times proven to be a challenge, and efforts to improve transmission and distribution infrastructure…
With a renewed focus on promoting its hydrocarbons potential, Côte d’Ivoire is aiming to bring fresh investment to the exploration and development of its oil and gas resources. Although the country has the hydrocarbons-rich Gulf of Guinea along its shores, sizeable discoveries have eluded oil companies in recent years. “We have had small oil and gas discoveries in Côte d’Ivoire, but…
The global spread of Covid-19 in the first half of 2020 occurred at a somewhat slower pace on the African continent than elsewhere, but brought similar disruptions to business and social life. The virus was first detected in Côte d’Ivoire in mid-March, and one month later the country had one of the highest infection rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Ivorian authorities responded with a number…
The sustainability of cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire has become one of the top priorities of both public and private stakeholders. Chief among the segment’s concerns are increasing the incomes of cocoa farmers and achieving a more equitable distribution of the value generated by the global cocoa industry. Other sustainability initiatives key to the public agenda include those intended…
Côte d’Ivoire’s burgeoning middle class and economic growth has supported the steady development of the retail sector in recent years. According to the World Bank, the share of Ivorians living on less than $1.90 per day fell from 34% in 2011 to 28% in 2015, the most recent year for which this information is available. In the wake of economic progress and improved political stability, the…
Côte d’Ivoire has recently attracted a raft of investments that are set to increase the country’s capacity to process its raw agricultural production. These follow government initiatives to develop the agro-industrial segment and boost local value addition, which are among the country’s top economic goals. Cocoa Grinding Agro-industrial companies involved in cocoa have made some of…
Roads are a key component of Côte d’Ivoire’s transport infrastructure – not only for its substantial population, estimated to exceed 25m, but also for the transportation of goods, as roads handle the vast majority of total internal cargo volume. While Côte d’Ivoire boasts one of West Africa’s most expansive road networks and has benefitted from the rapid development of its construction…
Côte d’Ivoire’s has made significant progress towards digitalisation in both the public and private sectors. The government has recently achieved milestones in its initiatives to digitalise government processes and services. Building on the progress achieved in 2019, the government migrated procedures such as those related to taxation and migration online in early 2020. Meanwhile, banks…
