Economy

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.