Côte D’Ivoire has been in a state of socio-political crisis since 1990, marked by: i) a coup d’état in 1999; ii) contested elections in 2000, which brought President Laurent Gbagbo to power; and iii) an armed internal conflict since 2002. The situation has caused a slowdown in economic growth. Following a long reconciliation process and the signature, on 4 March 2007, of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement (APO) by all key players in the crisis, the country’s political situation is gradually returning to normal. The holding of the presidential election scheduled for late 2009 is nonetheless crucial to the improvement of the political and economic landscape.

The Ivorian economy found renewed vigour in 2007. Growth was estimated at 2.3 per cent in 2008, driven primarily by strong performance in the construction sector and cocoa exports. This favourable economic trend is expected to continue over the next few years. Indeed, economic growth is expected to reach 3.8 and 4.1 per cent in 2009 and 2010 respectively, levels of growth not seen since before the crisis. The country is nonetheless in a difficult transition phase due to the uncertain political climate, which has weakened the economic recovery.