Country Profile

Côte d’Ivoire has long been regarded as one of West Africa’s richest and most diverse countries due to its linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity. While agriculture remains a key driver of economic progress, there is an abundance of other natural resources, including crude oil – with proven reserves of around 100m barrels – natural gas and diamonds. As a member of UEMOA, the African Union and ECOWAS, Côte d’Ivoire is an active player in regional politics, having also developed particularly strong ties with Morocco in recent years.

This chapter contains viewpoints from President Alasanne Ouattara and Kofi Annan, Chairman, African Progress Panel; and an interview with Marcel de Souza, President, ECOWAS Commission.