The Côte d'Ivoire-Europe Economic Dialogue 2026, organized by the Fondation WOROBA.NET in collaboration with MOROCCAN GENERATION NGO, took place in Brussels on October 27. The event brought together Belgian, European, and African economic operators, as well as Ivorian entrepreneurs. The goal was to promote partnerships and collaborations between economic actors, focusing on the country's development priorities.
The Ivorian government aims to consolidate its attractiveness to European investors and mobilize more private capital to support its economic transformation. The country's economic growth is projected to reach 7.2% annually, with plans to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030. To achieve this, the government has launched a national development plan (PND) 2026-2030, which includes investments of approximately $209 billion.
The Ivorian authorities expect private operators to finance 70.2% of the investments planned under the PND, while the public sector will contribute 29.8%. This private sector-led approach offers opportunities for partnerships in areas such as agro-industrial transformation, infrastructure, industrialization, and regional economic development.
In 2025, trade between Côte d'Ivoire and Europe reached 8,959.06 billion CFA francs, representing a 23% increase from the previous year. This growth highlights the importance of the European market in Ivorian economic relations and the need to strengthen local businesses to benefit more from international exchanges.
As part of its economic partnership agreement with the European Union, Côte d'Ivoire has begun implementing a tariff dismantling program. Since January 1, 2026, 1,074 tariff lines have been affected, with European products benefiting from duty-free imports. While this measure may facilitate access to certain products and equipment, it also raises concerns about the competitiveness of Ivorian businesses.
Environmental and sanitary requirements for exported products were also discussed during the dialogue. Ivorian actors emphasized the need to meet European standards and strengthen technical capacities to ensure compliance. The challenge lies in balancing sustainability requirements with the competitiveness of African businesses.
To facilitate investor implantation, Côte d'Ivoire has established an investment code and the Centre de promotion des investissements en Côte d'Ivoire (CEPICI), which provides guidance and simplifies procedures for economic operators. The organizers of the AE Economic Dialogue 2026 aim to foster concrete collaborations and identify joint projects to support the country's economic growth.
Key points
- Côte d'Ivoire aims to attract European investments to support its economic transformation and become an upper-middle-income country by 2030.
