Country Profile
From The Report: Cote d'Ivoire 2015
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Possessing rich cultural diversity, Côte d’Ivoire is located on the coast of West Africa. As the world’s largest producer of cocoa, a regional electricity exporter and a developed financial centre, the country’s prosperity in the post-independence era allowed it to establish itself as an influential commercial and diplomatic player. Civil unrest disrupted its development over the past decade, most recently following the last round of presidential elections in 2010, but following a resolution to the crisis in 2011 the country has seen a rebound in economic activity, with a flood of new public and private capital flowing in. While there is plenty of scope for improvement, Côte d’Ivoire is well on the way to re-establishing itself as a major growth market.

This chapter contains a viewpoint from President Alassane Dramane Ouattara; and interviews with Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, President, Commission of the Economic Community of West African States; Beyon Luc-Adolphe Tiao, Former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso; and Nicole Bricq, Former French Minister of Foreign Trade.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Election season: The country prepares to select its next president
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Possessing a rich cultural diversity, Côte d’Ivoire is located on the coast of West Africa. As the world’s largest producer of cocoa, a regional electricity exporter and a developed financial centre, the country’s prosperity in the post-independence era allowed it to establish itself as an influential commercial and diplomatic player. Civil unrest disrupted its development over the past decade, most recently following the last round of presidential elections in 2010, but following a resolution…

Analysis

Partnering up: Prominent new international relations were established in 2014
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The unrest that characterised the past decade greatly limited Côte d’Ivoire’s ability to play a diplomatic role, but the country’s continued economic recovery and return to greater political stability has allowed the West African country to rekindle old relationships and develop new, amicable relations with regional and international partners alike. It's Complicated Like many francophone African countries, Côte d’Ivoire’s relations with France have fluctuated significantly over recent…

Viewpoint

Shared benefits: President Alassane Dramane Ouattara on the path to prosperity
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Our country has recovered from a decade of turmoil and now sustains strong economic growth. All the indicators are positive, and Côte d’Ivoire is currently among the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world. This strong performance is acknowledged by all our partners, including large international institutions. In terms of construction and rehabilitation of economic and social infrastructure, significant results can be seen by everyone, especially in roads, water, electricity, education and health.…

Interview

Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, President, Commission of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS): Interview
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Interview:Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo How will the ECOWAS-EU economic partnership agreement (EPA) benefit West African states? KADRÉ DÉSIRÉ OUÉDRAOGO: According to the Cotonou Agreement, EPAs are intended to foster the smooth and gradual integration of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) into the global economy, with regard for their political choices and development priorities. This will promote their sustainable development and contribute to poverty eradication as…

Analysis

Regional integration: Central African nations work to combine their individual strengths
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Founded in 1975, ECOWAS has been pursuing its goal of regional economic integration for nearly four decades now. In recent years, as the EU has stumbled and faltered in its attempts to create a common foreign or security policy, and debt crises have stretched the eurozone to its limits, the wisdom of regional integration as a whole has been brought under scrutiny. However, moves in West Africa to encourage the harmonisation of fiscal policy and regulatory codes, alongside infrastructure sharing and…

Interview

Beyon Luc-Adolphe Tiao, Former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso: Interview
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Interview:Beyon Luc-Adolphe Tiao How can the common external tariff (CET) contribute to greater economic integration? BEYON LUC-ADOLPHE TIAO: On October 25, 2013 in Dakar, Senegal, ECOWAS finalised the structure of the ECOWAS CET. The CET will reinforce economic integration and promote economic competitiveness while increasing intra-regional trade. The desired effect is to lower prices so as to increase the population’s purchasing power. Similarly, the decline in prices for raw materials…

Interview

Nicole Bricq, Former French Minister of Foreign Trade: Interview
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Interview:Nicole Bricq How can France remain a competitive trade partner for African countries? NICOLE BRICQ: Africa is not a uniform block where demand is the same for all countries. Every country is different, and they each have their own expectations. Therefore trading partners should take an individual approach and adapt accordingly. Growth in South-South trade is a hard fact. About half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s exports are destined for emerging and developing countries, against less…