Africa Economy

From the Arab Maghreb Union in the north to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the other end of the continent, the African Union recognises eight regional economic communities. UEMOA, of which Côte d’Ivoire is a founding member, is one of the continent’s more institutionally integrated unions, with member states sharing a...

Founded in 1975 to promote economic integration in West Africa and eventually bring about full economic and monetary union, ECOWAS is made up of 15 members, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria (where the bloc is headquartered, in the capital Abuja),...

Côte d’Ivoire approved its second National Development Plan (Plan National de Développement, PND) in early 2016 to cover the 2016-20 period, following on from the 2012-15 PND. The new plan is aimed at transforming Côte d’Ivoire into an emerging country by 2020, has the backing of the World Bank and the IMF, and is focused on addressing...

Progress on several major infrastructure projects helped sustain Côte d’Ivoire’s sixth consecutive year of solid economic growth in 2016. Works planned under the 2016-20 National Development Plan (Plan National de Développement, PND) – announced by President Alassane Dramane Ouattara following his re-election in late 2015 – will be a key...