Economy
From The Report: Cote d'Ivoire 2020
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Following the achievements of the past few years, Côte d’Ivoire is in a good position to continue along its path of strong economic growth once the global economy has recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moves made to diversify the economy away from a reliance on raw exports are already paying dividends, as are improvements made to the investment environment in sectors with untapped potential, such as mining. However, further strengthening the business climate will be necessary to encourage expansion led by the private sector. While the current strategy of investing into poverty reduction highlights the government’s recognition of the need for more equitable growth, poverty rates are still high. Initiatives such as the Social Government Programme 2019-20, which aims to reduce poverty by raising formal employment and boosting productivity across nascent sectors such as manufacturing, will be key to the nation’s development. This chapter contains interviews with Emmanuel Esmel Essis, Director-General, Investment Promotion Agency of Côte d’Ivoire; Jean-Marie Ackah, President, General Confederation of Businesses of Côte d’Ivoire; and President, Federation of West African Employers’ Organisation; and Eric Kacou, CEO, Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

On course: Diversification plans and tax reforms seek to maintain long-term economic growth amid challenges in 2020
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In the face of economic challenges after the political upheaval of the 2000-11 period, Côte d’Ivoire has implemented major reforms, allowing it to become one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Significant public investment, combined with strong prices for many agricultural cash crops, helped achieve average annual GDP growth of 8.5% between 2012 and 2018, although provisional figures from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances, MEF) placed…

Interview

Main attraction: Emmanuel Esmel Essis, Director-General, Investment Promotion Agency of Côte d’Ivoire, on improving the business climate
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Interview:Emmanuel Esmel Essis To what extent has the one-stop shop facilitated investment in Côte d’Ivoire? EMMANUEL ESMEL ESSIS: The one-stop shop is an essential tool for building an entrepreneurial ecosystem and an important lever for promoting investment. It brings together all departments involved in establishing a company under one roof, ensuring the facilitation of administrative procedures related to the creation, operation, transmission, modification and extension of companies,…

Analysis

Step by step: Moves towards the launch of a new West African currency
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Côte d’Ivoire’s high level of regional integration is evidenced in numerous ways: it is a net exporter of energy, has ratified free movement protocols of the regional economic blocs it belongs to – including ECOWAS and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States – and has played its part in successfully implementing convergence agendas set by the eight-country economic and monetary union UEMOA. The topic of enhanced monetary and economic convergence has been brought to the fore in recent…

Interview

From the bottom up: Jean-Marie Ackah, President, General Confederation of Businesses of Côte d’Ivoire; and President, Federation of West African Employers’ Organisation, on public-private collaboration
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Interview:Jean-Marie Ackah What can be done to facilitate access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? JEAN-MARIE ACKAH: SMEs play a particularly important role in African economies, representing around 90% of private sector enterprises. However, according to several studies, more than 70% of these enterprises have difficulty accessing medium- and long-term credit. This limits their ability to contribute to GDP, create jobs and improve tax revenue. These challenges have…

Interview

Investment and reform: Eric Kacou, CEO, Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners, on improving the business climate and tackling financing issues
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Interview:Eric Kacou How can Côte d’Ivoire improve its business climate? ERIC KACOU: There are two main aspects of Côte d’ Ivoire’s business climate that need to be improved, as highlighted in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index. First, Côte d’Ivoire, which is an important member of the UEMOA, could achieve better results by enhancing regional trade. Although this would be dependent on initiatives taken by several states, countries with political, economic and historical…

Analysis

Technological solutions: The role of online learning platforms and digital health care services expands during the Covid-19 pandemic
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Côte d’Ivoire is turning to technology to ensure the ongoing education of and health care provision to its citizens amid the Covid-19 pandemic. After recording its first confirmed case of the virus in March 2020, the country is looking towards innovative solutions as people are staying home to stop the spread of the virus. E-Learning On April 6, 2020 the Ministry of National Education, Technical Education and Vocational Training launched free online education courses, giving students…