Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

AnnEx 2 – COunTRy CASE STuDIES
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both the organisational strength and long-term
perspective to engage in economic and institutional
transformation. the risks of violent competitive
politics make for a fragile political settlement.
3.2 Role and importance of international
and EU links
Investment
public and private investments have, in general,
been weak since the beginning of the economic
crisis in the 1980s, with a minor rally in the period
1995 to 1999 following the cFa devaluation of 50%,
which brought short-lived competitiveness for the
country’s exports. paradoxically, from 1996 to
2011, FDI increased despite the crises, mostly due
to an increase in asian and african investments,
while Eu investments declined. the Eu (and
within the Eu, France) nonetheless, remains the
principal source of FDI, supplying around 31% of
private investment. Importantly, little of this is in
agriculture, except for the agro-industry sector,
which has received a considerable share along with
Ict and services in recent years.
the ouattara government emphasises restoring
the private sector, reconciliation and ‘regaining
Ivory coast’s leading regional role’. the technocratic
background of president ouattara may further
inspire confidence. this is to some extent supported
by a new investment code agreed in June 2012 that
offers incentives to promote investment outside
abidjan and around the country, and efforts to
encourage investment through business-to-business
events with foreign investors. although several
hundred firms left during the crisis, there are still
650 French firms in the country, representing 30%
of GDp, more than half of fiscal revenues, and nearly
a third of formal employment with 90,000 salaried
workers. another confidence-building measure may
be the country’s signing of the Extractive Industry
Transparency Initiative (EItI). the country also
achieved the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIpc) status in June 2012, thereby also re-gaining
some basis for credibility.
EuropEan rEport on DEvElopmEnt 2013
the côte d’Ivoire study points to the need for
private-sector investments, and growth with job
creation. the Eu could contribute to strengthening
the private sector and entrepreneurship through
supporting capacity building in the areas of
standardization and quality control, facilitating
information access and increasing awareness on
national and international tender processes.
Trade
In terms of trade policy, côte d’Ivoire is caught
between its reliance on Eu trade and its regional
integration plans. In order not to lose preferences
as a mIc, it signed an Interim Economic Partnership
Agreement with the Eu, something its neighbours –
with the exception of Ghana – have not done. the
main future questions revolve around whether
the EcoWaS countries can agree on a common
Epa offer with the Eu. If a common Epa cannot
be agreed this is likely to have a negative effect on
EcoWaS regional integration processes. another
major element of trade policy stems from the
implementation of a West african Economic and
monetary union (uEmoa) common external tariff
from 2000. However, according to data presented in
the case study, this did not markedly affect côte
d’Ivoire’s trade with the uEmoa members.
the côte d’Ivoire case study expressed critical
views on the Eu trade policies towards the country
and the region. It was felt that the country had little
choice but to sign the interim Epa with the Eu. In
the case of côte d’Ivoire, the case study argues
that Eu preferences in trade policy in West africa
through the Epas were not conducive to further
regional integration and development.
Development Finance
the country has had a relatively strong record in
mobilising domestic resources through taxation,
even during the period of conflict. this was partly
due to the economic dominance of the south, which
remained in government hands during partition,
but also due to reforms on land taxation and tax