Economy

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...

Côte d’Ivoire operates a presidential political system, under which the president is the head of state and holds extensive executive power. He or she appoints a prime minister, who in turn selects the Cabinet. The president is also head of the armed forces and initiates most legislation, though parliament can also do so. The head of state is...

The volume of people and goods which traverse Côte d’Ivoire’s border with Ghana is significant both socially and economically. Relations between the two countries, however, have not always been straightforward. Côte d’Ivoire gained its independence from France in 1960, three years after its eastern neighbour won its independence from the UK....

Côte d’Ivoire is prospering on the back of renewed political stability and rapid economic growth, although as is the case with many fast-growing markets, the rewards have not been evenly distributed. The government has grappled with the high concentration of economic activity in select regions, which has compounded regional inequality and led...