Economy

Driven by rising government spending and public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure, economic growth has rebounded to high single-digits in the years since 2012. While substantial debt relief and support from development finance institutions is underwriting fast-rising public investment, attracting both foreign and domestic private investment will be crucial to attaining the government’s goal of becoming an emerging economy by 2020 – an area where the government has seen some early successes, with a six-times oversubscribed eurobond and a rise in PPPs. Eager to regain its position as the unrivalled economic hub for the region, the authorities are aggressively reforming the business climate to support private sector development. With substantial public investment in infrastructure driving the country’s rapid economic rebound, Côte d’Ivoire looks set for at least high single-digit growth in 2015 and 2016.

This chapter contains interviews with Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan; Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank; Emmanuel Esmel Essis, Director-General, Investment Promotion Agency of Côte d’Ivoire.