Ivory Coast : Invest in South-Comoé forum, economic operators invited to invest in the region

Invest in South-Comoé forum, the event, which took place from September 27 to 29, 2024, aimed to promote the economic and tourism potential of the South-Comoé region, in order to attract investors and foster its development. The business forum welcomed investors from Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, France, Congo Brazzaville, the DRC, the USA, China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, who came to discover investment opportunities. The theme of the 2024 edition of the Invest In South-Comoé Forum is “Setting course for South-Comoé: Cultivating innovation and sustainability for shared prosperity“. South-Comoé has enormous socio-economic potential, with 70% of the population engaged in agriculture.

A crossroads and transit region between Ivory Coast and Ghana, South-Comoé comprises four departments (Aboisso, Adiaké, Grand-Bassam and Tiapoum). It also boasts an attractive natural potential, with a dense and diversified hydrographic network comprising the Atlantic Ocean, 11 lagoons, three lakes, 11 rivers, a canal and groundwater. The region also boasts 11 classified forests, three wetlands and 10,000 lowlands.

By investing here, you are knocking on the right door, because in addition to the region’s assets, major projects are planned by the Head of State to make it a pivotal point in Ivory Coast’s development (in the strategic vision) 2040-2050,

declared the Ivorian Prime Minister, as relayed by the local media, l’Ivoirien.

Solange Amichia, Managing Director of the The Center for the Promotion of Investments in Ivory Coast (CEPICI), explained that the “Invest In” concept aims to mobilize investment in the various regions and create partnerships with local businesses.

The role of the Investment Promotion Centre is to follow up on these investments with the Regional Council, but also with the sectoral ministers in order to be able to carry out these investments,

emphasized Cepici General Manager Solange Amichia.

The country has also set up a number of specialized counters, notably for business formalities, land and foreign trade, to simplify administrative procedures. Added to this is a robust legal, institutional and regulatory framework for public-private partnerships. The President of the South-Comoé Regional Council, Mr. Aka Aouélé, noted that the aim of the forum was to provide

an appropriate framework for presenting the region’s investment opportunities and attracting more national and international investment.

Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé has announced two major projects underway to make it easier for investors to work with Ivorian public and private partners, through a one-stop shop and the Economic Program for Business Innovation and Transformation (PEPITE). Cepici’s Managing Director reported that around 100,254 million US dollars (59 billion Fcfa) in investments were captured during the first edition of “Invest In” in January 2024, in Korhogo (North). Cepici, Ivory Coast’s one-stop shop for investment, has identified the potential of the regions and put together a catalog of projects that is available to all investors. In addition, with the help of the Investment Code, it supports operators in carrying out their projects.

The Center for the Promotion of Investments in Ivory Coast (CEPICI) plans to organize the “Invest In” forum in 2025 in the Zanzan region (eastern Ivory Coast), as well as in the South-Sassandra and Tonkpi regions (western Ivory Coast).