When launching an import project in Abidjan and looking for a supplier, China now accounts for 15.7% of Ivorian imports, far ahead of France (6.3%). This trade shift alters supply costs, logistics timelines, and product standards for anyone looking to do business in Côte d’Ivoire.
Supply and Suppliers: China’s Influence on the Ivorian Ground
The volume of trade between Côte d’Ivoire and China reached $5.06 billion in 2024, nearly quadrupling in ten years. Ivorian exports to China increased from about $100 million in 2013 to nearly $1 billion in 2024.
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Construction materials, industrial equipment, and Chinese consumer products are saturating the markets of Abidjan and secondary cities. For an entrepreneur starting a business in construction or retail, the reference pricing is no longer European.
This repositioning has a direct effect on supplier negotiations. Companies that follow Ivorian economic news on 225 Business are aware of the extent of this shift: adapting their supply chain to Chinese circuits (specialized freight forwarders, product standards, payment terms) is becoming a fully-fledged operational skill.
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Local Transformation of Cocoa and Cashew: Where Value is Created in Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire holds about 39% of the global cocoa market and 40% of global cashew production. These two sectors remain the backbone of the agricultural economy. The question for 2024 is not whether these sectors are viable, but at which link in the chain value is truly captured.
The Ivorian government is promoting local transformation, particularly through the National Development Plan. The goal is to reduce raw exports and increase the share of semi-finished or finished products (cocoa butter, chocolate, shelled cashews). On the ground, several processing units have emerged in recent years in the Abidjan area and around San Pedro.
Practical Constraints for Entering Agro-Transformation
Three recurring obstacles are encountered when entering this segment:
- Access to a consistently high-quality raw material, as cooperatives do not all guarantee the same level of traceability or regularity in delivered volumes.
- The energy cost of processing units, which remains high despite investments in the Ivorian energy mix (the energy sector is evolving, but feedback on this point varies by geographic area).
- Compliance with export standards to the European Union, whose requirements on pesticide residues and traceability have recently tightened.
For a project leader, mastering upstream logistics is as important as the capacity for transformation. Without reliable supply, the industrial tool operates at a loss.
Digital Economy and Mobile Money: The Sector Restructuring Trade in Abidjan
The tertiary sector accounts for more than 61% of Ivorian GDP, driven notably by telecommunications and financial services. On the ground, mobile money has changed the way commercial transactions are conducted daily, including between professionals.
For a new business, not integrating mobile payment into its sales circuit means cutting itself off from part of the market. Digital payment solutions (Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Wave) have become the standard in local commerce and distribution.
Concrete Opportunities in Ivorian Tech
The most active niches are not the most publicized. Retail fintech is already competitive. However, there is strong and underserved demand in:
- The digitalization of agricultural cooperative management (stock tracking, traceability, payment to producers).
- Administrative management tools for Ivorian SMEs, which are still largely under-equipped with business software.
- Logistics platforms for the last mile, especially outside Abidjan, where delivery remains a major friction point.
Growth of Ivorian GDP and PND 2026-2030: What It Means for an Entrepreneur
Côte d’Ivoire shows an average annual growth of nearly 6.5% during the PND 2021-2025 period. The government projects a real GDP growth of 6.8% on average for the 2027-2029 programming. The new PND 2026-2030 is being structured with a focus on the structural transformation of the economy.
For an entrepreneur, these projections translate into a stable macroeconomic framework, but they do not eliminate local frictions. The improvement of the business climate remains uneven across sectors and regions. The CEPICI (one-stop shop for investment) facilitates administrative procedures, but the reality varies between Abidjan-Plateau and an inland city.
The key point to watch for the upcoming period concerns the mobilization of tax revenues. The World Bank identifies this lever as a catalyst for productivity and economic transformation in Côte d’Ivoire. In other words, tax pressure may evolve, and every business plan must incorporate a hypothesis of gradual increases in tax levies.
The Ivorian economy remains one of the most dynamic in West Africa, with strong agricultural sectors, a rapidly expanding digital sector, and trade flows undergoing significant reorientation. The profitability of a project depends less on macro indicators than on the ability to adapt operations to the logistical, fiscal, and commercial constraints specific to each sector.