In French Last month, 44 African nations gathered in Kigali to sign an agreement establishing a framework for the world’s largest free trade area (FTA) since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1995 – but how ready is Africa for such a deal? And to what extent will the Continental FTA (CFTA) be able to enhance intra-regional trade? The deal aims to establish a single continental market…
In French Business Barometer: OBG in Africa CEO Survey Copyright (c). All rights reserved. This survey has been designed to assess business sentiment amongst business leaders (Chief Executives or equivalent) and their outlook for the next 12 months. Unlike many surveys, the OBG Business Barometer is conducted by OBG staff on a face-to-face basis, across the full range of industries, company sizes…
Hudson & Cie are organizing the 4th edition of the Regional Exchange Conference « REC 2018 » on the BRVM (the WAEMU Regional Stock Exchange). The conference will be held over 3 days from May 7th to the 9th 2018 at the SOFITEL Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and will bring together listed companies on the BRVM along with key market participants such as International investors, local…
In English Le secteur minier ivoirien décolle, l’augmentation de la production et de l’exploration aurifère contribuant à étayer la croissance considérable enregistrée récemment. Au mois de janvier, le gouvernement indiquait dans un communiqué officiel que le chiffre d’affaires du secteur minier avait connu une hausse de 11,5% en 2017, tandis que les recettes totales du secteur…
As a member of UEMOA, the African Union and ECOWAS, Côte d’Ivoire is an active player in regional politics. While the country’s close ties to France and its distance from pan-Africanism has traditionally strained relations with neighbouring Ghana, the it retains good relations with its other neighbours, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, Liberia and Angola. Françafrique Côte d’Ivoire’s…
After five years of strong economic growth and relative political calm, frustrations have been mounting at the slow pace of improvement in living conditions in certain segments of the population. Those with the most leverage, such as security forces and public servants, have pressured the government with demands for increased spending. At the same time, external macroeconomic developments have…
Côte d’Ivoire is a presidential republic. Since the cessation of the civil war in 2011, the country’s president, Alassane Ouattara, who is currently serving his second term, has said he wants to make the process of reconciliation his priority. Aiming to address the issues that fuelled the tensions behind the war, a series of reforms have been initiated, including a new constitution promulgated…
While the bulk of retail bank operations in Côte d’ Ivoire are still conducted through traditional branches, digitalisation has already revolutionised the sector, and there is little evidence that this trend will slow down as technology penetration continues to rapidly expand. Individuals have been able to carry out basic transactions using their mobile phones for a number of years, and…
Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) serves the members of UEMOA (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo) whose currency, the CFA franc, is pegged to the euro. The BRVM is among the world’s most successful integrated regional exchanges, and is Africa’s sixth-largest securities exchange…
Côte d’Ivoire enjoys amicable relations with the major world powers, with no outstanding bilateral issues. During the cold war, Côte d’Ivoire generally favoured the West and had no diplomatic ties with the USSR from between 1969 and 1986. It is a member of the UN and most of its specialised agencies. The international community generally sided with presidential candidate Alassane Ouattara…
