Ivory Coast Basic Information

Ivory Coast is a country located in West Africa, a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The economy is largely market-driven and heavily dependent on the agricultural sector. With GDP growth of 6.9% (or 4.2% per capita) in 2019, Côte d’Ivoire was among the best-earning economies in sub-Saharan Africa, driven mainly by an expanding middle class that supported demand across all sectors. Prior to the COVID-19 situation, the outlook for 2020 remained favorable, with growth forecast at approximately 7%. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-25 will shape politics and the overall economy. The plan will emphasize investment in infrastructure and job creation, along with efforts to improve the business environment by cutting red tape, fighting corruption and simplifying corporate tax. Real GDP growth will accelerate over 2022-26 on strong domestic conditions, with NDP reforms supporting inward investment and coronavirus vaccines being rolled out more widely. The pandemic and elections pushed spending up in 2021, but fiscal consolidation will resume from 2022 under IMF guidance. The deficit is expected to be reduced to 3% of GDP. The economy of Côte d’Ivoire should recover significantly, as real GDP will increase by 6.5% in 2022, thanks mainly to agriculture, construction, petroleum products, transport and trade, investment and consumption. Ivory Coast is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and cashews, as well as coffee, timber, oil, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil and fish. Its imports consist of oil, rice, unfiltered frozen fish, packaged medicines and refined oil.

This Summary Territorial Information is processed for a country that is so-called accredited. The information is provided in an abbreviated form.

Basic information about the territory

Subchapters:

• System of governance and political tendencies in the country
• Foreign policy of the country
• Population

The system of governance and political tendencies in the country

Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

The politics of Côte d’Ivoire takes place within the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, under which there is a president of Côte d’Ivoire, who is both head of state and head of government. The president is elected for five years in universal suffrage. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President for a term of office of 5 years. The prime minister works under the president. The President also appoints the Council of Ministers (cabinet). The new 2016 constitution envisages the creation of a new position of vice president. Until the end of 2016 and the approval of the new constitution, the legislature in Côte d’Ivoire was unicameral. The parliament called the National Assembly had 255 seats. Its members were elected in single-member or multi-member district elections in general and direct elections for five years. As of April 2018, the legislature is bicameral with the creation of a senate whose members are elected for five-year terms. They are two-thirds elected by universal and direct suffrage, while the President appoints the remaining third “from former presidents of institutions, former prime ministers and national figures”. Citizens of Côte d’Ivoire enjoy very limited political rights. The president can dissolve parliament or veto its provisions. There are many legal political parties in Côte d’Ivoire, but very few have secured national support. Check cancermatters to learn more about Ivory Coast political system.

Foreign policy of the country

Foreign policy will remain heavily influenced by efforts to attract foreign investment and finance ambitious spending plans. The French presence in Côte d’Ivoire will remain strong—in terms of security, investment flows and trade ties—given the strong ties already in place. France has a permanent military base in the country, partly to contribute to the consolidation of peace and partly to support military operations elsewhere on the continent. Ivory Coast, as a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is involved in strengthening coordination in counter-insurgency campaigns. Ivory Coast faces a growing threat from Islamist insurgents along its borders with Burkina Faso and Mali. Attacks remain sporadic and concentrated around border regions, so the chances, that large parts of the country will fall prey to armed Islamist groups is small. The government of Ivory Coast is strengthening its military presence along its borders, accelerating investment in its northern region to boost socio-economic development, addressing food insecurity among a growing refugee population and engaging in regional counter-insurgency efforts. Check prozipcodes for Ivory Coast defense and foreign policy.

Population

Population: 26.91 million (2021)

Average annual population growth: 2.57%

Population structure by age groups: Age structure 0-14 years: 38.53% (males 5,311,971/females 5,276,219) 15-24 years: 20.21% (males 2,774,374/females 2,779,012)​​​​​​ (male 349,822/female 433,385) Median age: 19.9 years

Ethnicity structure: Akan 32.1% Other (including European and Lebanese) 21.2% Voltaique or Gur 15% Northern Mande 12.4% Krou 9.8% Southern Mande 9% Not determined 0.5%

Structure of religious groups (Christian, Muslim, etc. in %) ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ .5%