Country Profile

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.