“The Ivorian government, in collaboration with technical and financial partners, is committed to promoting the industrialization of the country. The industrialization of Côte d’Ivoire remains the most effective way to create more jobs and improve the living conditions of the people. “
These are the words of Souleymane Diarrassouba, Ivorian Minister in charge of industry, during the celebration of the day of industrialization of Africa coupled with the presentation of the 2018 UNIDO report on the manufacturing industry, December 20, 2018 in Abidjan.
Industrialization of the Ivory Coast: firstly an institutional will
The success of a country’s industrialization remains linked to the institutional environment in which it is implemented. This is clearly what is driving the Ivorian government in its initiatives. The latter are materialized by the promotion of the manufacturing and agro-industrial sectors, as well as by the development of new industrial zones, concomitantly with the rehabilitation of existing industrial zones. We can cite the Akoupé-Zeudji area with 140 hectares of developed plots should be available by 2020, or that of Yopougon, which was badly degraded in 2014, and already 90% rehabilitated in 2018.
Already, according to UNIDO, the value added of the Ivorian manufacturing industry, in real terms, has increased on average by 8.3% over the period 2012-2016. Its growth is estimated at 8.3% in 2017 and projected at 7.6% in 2018.
Significant structural challenges
However, despite the efforts noted, some structural competitiveness problems continue to weigh on Ivorian industry. They concern in particular the costs of factors of production including water and energy, imported inputs, or the lack of logistics performance. Added to this, there is a lack of directly productive skilled labor, as well as difficulties in accessing industrial land for small and medium-sized industries.
The red tape and the tax burden not always consistent with the strategic will for industrial development, the difficulties of access to regional and international markets, as well as the sometimes restrictive regulations, are added to the difficulties encountered by Ivorian industrial companies.
A voluntary but worried private sector
Although the private sector is in phase with the government on the need for industrialization, questions remain unanswered, raising the concerns of the said actors in particular concerning the quality of infrastructure, unfair competition from products resulting from fraud, counterfeiting and the informal sector. To this is added the weakness of the equipment of the national structures intended to combat the said plagues.
Industrial development in the Ivory Coast would therefore require the development of exclusive industrial zones, such as Japan, China and even India, in their early days.
The strategic axes of the industrialization program of Côte d’Ivoire
The strategic axes of the industrialization program revolve around 4 fundamental options accompanied by an action plan relating to priority production sectors and measures to support industrial development. These strategic axes are:
– on-site processing of agricultural and mining raw materials,
– the promotion of private industrial investments, both national and foreign, with a special mention for the establishment of multinational groups and for international subcontracting,
– active promotion of exports
– the development of SMIs by focusing on the promotion of a culture of industrial development and the entrepreneurial spirit.
In setting up its industrialization plan, the Ivory Coast identified 25 sectors with industrial dynamics. Because of their development potential considered strong, 12 of them were selected as priorities (3 support sectors and 9 sectors of transformation of agricultural and mining raw materials par excellence):
Support channels:
– Packaging
– Capital goods, maintenance and repair industry
– Pharmaceutical products
The agricultural raw materials processing sectors:
– The mines
– Wood
– The cereals
– Fruits and vegetables
– Starchy foods
– The cotton
– Oilseeds
– The rubber
– Coffee and cocoa
Ivorian companies that have already taken the step of industrialization still suffer from problems of alignment with standards. A survey conducted by the BNETD (National Bureau of Technical Studies and Development) in 2012 indicates that only 9% of the sample of 269 companies surveyed have certification for environmental management. 13% are certified for quality management, and 17% of these companies have product certification.
Government measures, taken in synergy with local actors could allow the Ivory Coast to set up a harmonious and fluid industrialization process demonstrating the high potential of this country with significant natural resources.
read also: https://www.afrikatech.com/start-business/countries-undergoing-industrialization-in-africa-ethiopia/
http://www.gouv.ci/_actualite-article.php?d=1&recordID=9544&p=342
http://minutes-eco.com/news/1421-industrialisation-de-la-cote-d-ivoire-le-severe-diagnostic-de-jean-marie-ackah-et-des-acteurs-du-secteur- prive http://ivoir-opinion.over-blog.com/2015/05/fpi-l-industrialisation-de-la-cote-d-ivoire-a-un-caractere-d-urgence-militante.html
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