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Egypt continues to strive, not just for energy independence, but to return to its status as a regional exporter. With oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Suez, the Mediterranean Sea and the Western Desert, the country has been a site of energy exploration since the early 20th century. With recent discoveries of major natural gas deposits as well as continued exploration announcements, a low-cost operating environment and the anticipation of steady, even rising, global oil prices, Egypt has its sights set on increased petroleum production to meet growing local energy demand, as well as for export growth to acquire much-needed foreign currency. This chapter contains interviews with Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; Claudio Descalzi, CEO, Eni; Hesham El Amroussy, Chairman and Managing Director, ExxonMobil Egypt; and Walid Sheta, Cluster President for North-east Asia and Levant, Schneider Electric.

In conjunction with Bilé-Aka, Brizoua-Bi & Associés, this chapter contains an overview of the legal framework under which local and foreign investors operate in Côte d’Ivoire, covering an overview of the regulations governing different sectors, the rules for investment and expatriate employment, and recently introduced legislation on trade and financial services. This chapter contains a viewpoint from Joachim Bilé-Aka and Michel K Brizoua-Bi, Founders, Bilé-Aka, Brizoua-Bi & Associés.

In conjunction with EY, this chapter contains an introduction to Côte d’Ivoire’s taxation system. It also includes a viewpoint from Jean François Albrecht, Country Managing Partner and Regional Leader; and Eric N’guessan, Country and Regional Tax Leader, EY.

Significant reform in the education sector is seen as a precondition for Côte d’Ivoire’s manageable and sustainable development. The urgency of this restructuring is closely related to the country’s youth bulge: in 2014, 41.8% of the population was under the age of 15. The state’s main goals for the sector are to increase access to basic education, improve quality and governance, and adapt vocational training to labour market needs. While baseline indicators remain low, consistent prioritisation of education in government budgets since 2011 has led to concrete improvements at both the primary and secondary level. This chapter contains an interview with Koffi N’Guessan, Director-General, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

The health sector is still recovering from the conflict period due to damaged infrastructure and restricted funding, though recent years have seen investments undertaken to rebuild the health sector from a low base. The 2016-20 National Development Plan made and continues to make valuable progress on key indicators such as the infant mortality rate and access to health services, while major contributions from international development agencies have helped reduce the burden of malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. Though it will be several years before investments in infrastructure and regulation efforts benefit the entire population, initiatives such as mandatory health care coverage and an independent pharmaceutical regulatory agency are necessary steps to develop health care in Côte d’Ivoire. This chapter contains an interview with Eric Djibo, President and Director-General, International Polyclinic Sainte Anne Marie.

Inbound travel has increased considerably since 2011, and Côte d’Ivoire boasts strong potential in terms of natural beauty and a culture of hospitality. The government has also chosen tourism as one of its priority sectors, with the Ministry of Tourism implementing a strategy to make it one of the top-three contributors to GDP by 2020. A stark rise in business tourism has been a significant feature of the sector’s post-conflict evolution. The business tourism segment currently surpasses that of leisure, with spending making up 65.6% of tourism’s contribution to GDP in 2016, reaching 1.4bn, while leisure tourism contributed 34.4%, or €724.6m. The draw of business tourism has led leisure tourism stakeholders to call for more integration between the segments. This chapter contains an interview with Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism.