Business and Investment Opportunities in Ivory Coast

1. Agribusiness

Côte d’Ivoire has a large agriculture potential as 75 percent of the national territory constitutes
arable agricultural land. Agriculture accounts for 25 percent of GDP and 60 percent of export
receipts. The sector employs two-thirds of the population. Côte d’Ivoire is a net food exporter of
major cash crops grown by small farmers including: cocoa, coffee, rubber, cotton, palm oil, cashew
nuts and bananas. The country imports rice, wheat, corn meal and dairy products.
Currently, opportunities exist for companies in processing cashew nuts, cocoa, palm oil (bio-fuels),
and other value-added products. Côte d’Ivoire is the world top producer and one of the world’s top
exporters of cashews. Production of cashews has grown from 635,000 tons in 2015 to more than
650,000 tons in 2016.

2. Construction, public works and infrastructures

For a country still trying to catch up on nearly a decade of neglect of its infrastructure, the
construction sector is a very promising sector.
The housing need in Côte d’Ivoire is estimated at 400, 000 to 600, 000 units, with a yearly increase
of 50, 000. The Ivoirian government is planning to address the need of 400,000 new homes
(200,000 of which are needed in the economic capital of Abidjan). There are 71 construction sites
in progress to address this need, but this will only cover a small portion of overall demand. So far,
only 12,785 houses have been completed, of which 4,003 have been delivered.
From 2016 to 2017, 40.5% of the imported construction equipment came from the U.S. The
constant demand for cement shows the dynamism of the sector and the need for more
suppliers. The four cement producers established in the country struggle to satisfy demand despite
their 2.9 million metric tons of production capacity.

3. Petrol

Côte d’Ivoire has proven oil reserves estimated at 100 million barrels and gas reserves of 1 trillion
cubic feet . Côte d’Ivoire has the potential to become a medium-sized offshore oil producer through
development of the upstream industry. The country is a net exporter of petroleum, though it
imports crude oil to be refined in local refineries that are configured for the heavier oil produced
elsewhere. The Ivoirian government reports that oil production was approximately 34,000 barrels
per day in 2017 and that gas production reached approximately 216 million cubic feet per
day. Côte d’Ivoire is a net regional energy exporter.
Oil and gas is bought through SIR (Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage -SIR), the only Ivoirian oil
refinery, and its associated storage company GESTOCI. The market for petroleum products is not
liberalized, so companies seeking to market such products in Côte d’Ivoire must do so through SIR
and the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Renewable Energy.
 4. Tourism

Ivory-coast-raises-5-8-billion-euros-for-tourism-industry from Germany in 2019. The Ivory Coast is

intent becoming Africa’s fifth biggest tourism destination by 2025, includes development of the
country’s 550km coastline
Major Attractions
1. Abidjan - Named as the ‘The Paris of West Africa’ , the city of Abidjan itself has a lot to
explore. It is among the best cities of Africa, and full of life and color. Art, beaches, shopping,
cafes, restaurants and nightclubs having one of the liveliest night life makes Abidjan even
more vibrant. The National art museum which displays African culture and craftsmanship,
shopping at Treichville, boating by the lagoons ,strolling by the beaches and a visit to the
famous St Paul’s Cathedral

2. Basilica Of Our Lady of Peace - Located in the Yamoussoukro city and listed as the World’s
Largest Basilica in Guinness World Records, the church was designed by architect Pierre
Fakhoury. The basilica is built of marble imported from Italy and furnished with
contemporary stained glass. It can accommodate around 18000 devotees.
3. La Cascade Waterfall - One of the loveliest waterfalls, the path craves through the bamboo
forest and coffee plantations, littered with butterflies and dragon flies. The cool and
refreshing air will make you experience peace in true sense. In midst of craggy mountains
on both the sides, this waterfall is a jewel in the sea. Being a exploring mountain range for
mountaineers these days, La cascade is also a great place to swim except for the dry season
which is from July to October.

4. Tai National Park - Inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage site, it contains the largest area of
the primary tropical rainforest of Africa. It lies between the rivers Cavalry and Sassandra.
The rich flora and fauna of the forest has a wide variety making it unique among the animal
lovers. But the major risk is only that, it is also the major reservoir to Ebola Virus hence
precautionary measures are must be taken.
 5. San Pedro - Situated along the Atlantic Ocean, this town has access to numerous beaches
with varying coastline. the vast coastline, sport activities offered.

5. Industry

Energy - The Ivoirian government adopted an ambitious National Development Plan that calls for
investing $20 billion and producing 4000 megawatts by 2030. So far, the government has been able
to keep up with that plan through extensions of existing thermal power plants.
Côte d’Ivoire became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to turn to independent power
producers (IPPs) to meet energy demand. Allowing private firms to operate in this sector gave Côte
d’Ivoire the ability to respond rapidly to its growing energy needs. Today, there are three IPPs in
Côte d’Ivoire: Ciprel (556 megawatts), Azito Energie (440 MW), and Aggreko (210 MW). The grid
has reached 49% of coverage and the electricity access rate is 80%.
The government announced that it will privatize the distribution of electricity by 2020.

https://www.export.gov/article?id=Cote-d-Ivoire