On the sidelines of Expo Universal Osaka 2025, Ivory Coast organized an international economic forum on June 12, 2025, under the auspices of the Center for Investment Promotion in Ivory Coast (CEPICI). In front of a group of Japanese investors, diplomats, and business leaders, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, presented the National Development Plan (PND) 2021-2025, estimated at $100 billion (56,570 billion CFA francs), 75% financed by the private sector. This initiative aims to accelerate the industrialization and economic transformation of the country, while consolidating sustainable strategic partnerships, away from aid logic. “We are not looking for aid, but for strong and lasting partnerships,” emphasized the minister.
The forum was an opportunity to strengthen Ivorian-Japanese economic cooperation, with bilateral trade volume already estimated at $332.8 million (188.265 billion CFA francs in 2024). The goal now is to reverse a favorable trade balance to Japan by boosting exports of processed products such as cocoa, cashew nuts, and minerals. In this dynamic, three major agreements were signed: the first with YANMAR Agri Business for the mechanization of the rice sector; the second between the CCI-Ivory Coast and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Japan; and the last in the digital sector, between Paradise Game and Happy Life Design Lab.
Since 2012, Mr. Diarrassouba supported, the country has implemented reforms to attract private capital: creation of the CEPICI one-stop shop, dematerialization of procedures, PPP code, industrial modernization, and advanced digitalization. These measures have led to a significant increase in private investment from 8.1% in 2011 to 19% in 2024. Furthermore, Ivory Coast is experiencing sustained economic growth, with a GDP growth of 6% in 2024 and stable projections at 6.4% until 2027. The industry, representing 24.5% of the GDP, has a growth rate of 10%, confirming the country’s desire to become a regional industrial hub.
Relying on a dynamic youth (75% of the population is under 35), sustainable political stability, modern infrastructure, and openness to the regional market (ECOWAS and AfCFTA), Ivory Coast aims to position itself as a central player in the economic renewal of Africa. Minister Diarrassouba called on international investors to seize the opportunities offered by a rapidly expanding market and a development model based on fair public-private partnerships. “Investing in Ivory Coast is betting on a common future, based on trust, innovation, and co-construction,” he concluded.
