Country Profile

Once one of Africa’s economic powerhouses, Côte d’Ivoire fell on hard times in the 1980s and entered a period of political instability and civil war at the end of the 1990s. The coun¬try has largely been at peace since 2011, enjoying some of the highest economic growth rates globally, especially during the period 2012-16. Still by far the world’s most important cocoa producer, the former French colony is linguistically, ethnically and religiously diverse, and well on its way to reclaiming its status as a dynamic driving force of the West African regional economy. This chapter contains a viewpoint with President Alassane Dramane Ouattara; an interview with Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa; and a viewpoint: Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development of Canada.