For a long time, Ivorian industry developed within a legal framework considered fragmented, between tax, town planning and environmental texts. For around ten years, the government has been working to build a coherent corpus, both to secure investments and to control the establishment of production units. The objective is twofold. It is about making industry an engine of inclusive growth and avoiding the anarchy of factories installed outside of any planning or technical control plan. This shift is part of the priorities of the National Development Plan (PND) 2026-2030, which aims to increase the share of industry from 22.7% to 30% of GDP. To achieve this, the executive launched a series of reforms affecting industrial land, tax incentives, free zone regimes and product standardization. 

The 2025 law, the backbone of industrial zones

At the heart of this system, law n°2025‑393 of June 11, 2025 sets the rules applicable to industrial zones and land intended for the exercise of industrial activity. This text applies to all industrial zones and land for industrial use, providing precise definitions of concepts such as “land for industrial use” or “industrial unit”. Above all, the law introduces a major innovation, that of the obligation of prior declaration before any industrial activity in the territory. From now on, no unit can start without having reported to the competent services of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, under penalty of sanctions provided for by the legislation. According to the official press release, this requirement should improve industrial development planning and guarantee compliance of establishments with technical, environmental and safety standards. Another step forward, the text strengthens the security of investments by giving the State accumulated powers to sanction breaches observed in industrial zones or outside. It also creates a key legal tool, the long-term lease of an industrial nature, designed to reassure public and private investors on the duration of land occupation. does not just regulate, it incites. Law No. 2018‑985 of December 28, 2018 on the regime of free zones offers an advantageous tax and customs environment for companies setting up in dedicated spaces. These zones must concentrate activities with high added value and promote exports, particularly in agro-industry, the processing of natural resources and industrial services. A 2020 ordinance legalized a specific tax and customs regime for an agreement to develop industrial economic zones in Abidjan, Ferkessédougou and San Pedro. This system intends to position these poles as industrial hubs equipped with infrastructure and targeted advantages. More recently, bills examined in Parliament aim to refocus tax advantages on sectors deemed priority and to strengthen the business environment, in line with the industrialization strategy. Here again, the logic is to condition incentives on criteria of location, performance and compliance with standards.

Standards, quality and corporate responsibility

Industrial development also relies on an arsenal of technical and quality standards. Law No. 2013-866 of December 23, 2013 relating to standardization and the promotion of quality, supplemented by its implementing decrees, entrusts Côte d'Ivoire Normalization (CODINORM) with the responsibility of developing, disseminating and updating the catalog of Ivorian standards. These standards cover all manufacturing sectors and aim to protect consumers, promote business competitiveness and facilitate access to international markets. For manufacturers, normative compliance is becoming a must, whether for food products, construction materials or electrical equipment. Combined with the requirements for prior declaration and location in industrial zones, this normative aspect reinforces the responsibility of companies vis-à-vis industrialists, environmental nuisances and worker safety. Controls are expected to be strengthened as the State implements its “sustainable” industrialization strategy.

In short, Côte d'Ivoire is gradually equipping itself with a legal framework which firmly governs the development of its industry. This movement, at the service of the PND 2026-2030, should make it possible to attract capital, organize industrial land and better protect populations and the environment from the risks linked to production. This right, now abundant, will still have to be applied rigorously on the ground, where the credibility of the regulatory State is at stake.