To understand the industrial surge of the 2010s, we must first measure the extent of the damage caused by previous years. Between 2000 and 2010, Côte d'Ivoire went through one of the darkest periods in its economic history. Namely coups d'état, partition of the territory, post-electoral crisis of 2010-2011. The industrial sector, concentrated mainly in Abidjan and large urban areas, was hit hard. Foreign investors have deserted, production units have been vandalized or abandoned, and the fabric of industrial companies has crumbled under the combined effect of insecurity and institutional instability. It is in this context of near devastation that Côte d'Ivoire entered the new decade, with a colossal challenge to overcome. That of rebuilding and modernizing its industrial facilities while aiming for the status of an emerging country by 2020. A bold bet, which many considered unrealistic in the wake of a fratricidal crisis.

The National Development Plan: the starting gun

The arrival to power of President Alassane Ouattara in 2011 marks a decisive turning point. The new government places industrialization at the heart of its economic strategy and has adopted an ambitious management instrument, the National Development Plan (PND). From 2012-2015, the Ivorian State initiated a vast rehabilitation of infrastructure, so much so that the World Bank listed Côte d'Ivoire among the 10 most reforming countries in its Doing Business 2014 report. The figures testify to the effectiveness of this shock policy. Indeed, as of 2013, the country has more than 5,000 active industrial companies. The industrial sector contributed 26% of GDP that year and represented 41% of national exports. In less than three years after the end of the crisis, the economy is regaining strength at a pace that few observers had anticipated.

At the heart of this industrial renaissance, agro-industry is establishing itself as the structuring pillar. It alone represents 50% of the entire Ivorian industrial sector, and 75% of the manufacturing industry. Ivory Coast, the world's leading producer of cocoa, has an incomparable raw material that it is gradually striving to transform locally rather than exporting in its raw state. The same logic applies to cashew nuts, natural rubber, palm oil and cotton. Thus, between 2010 and 2020, local cocoa processing will experience a notable acceleration. Multinationals like Barry Callebaut, Cargill and SIFCA are strengthening or installing their grinding units in Abidjan and San Pedro, making Ivory Coast the leading cocoa processing country in Africa. This move upmarket in the value chain makes it possible not only to create manufacturing jobs, but also to capture a greater share of the added value which, until now, largely escaped Ivorian producers. agro-industry and extractive industries play a significant role as lever in the dynamics of the decade. The mining sector, long underexploited despite significant resources in gold, manganese and nickel, is beginning to gain momentum. Gold is becoming an increasingly structured sector, attracting international companies which invest in the exploitation of deposits in the north and center of the country. The oil and gas sector, for its part, continues to fuel public revenues and support industrial activity through the supply of energy. The Société des Pétroles de Côte d'Ivoire (PETROCI) and its partners maintain offshore production which, although below the major oil countries in the region, contributes to securing the energy supply of national industries. Without this relatively accessible energy, industrial recovery would not have been possible on this scale. To accommodate this dynamic, Côte d'Ivoire is banking on the development and modernization of its industrial zones. The government is deploying economic parks and free zones intended to attract both local and foreign investors, by offering significant tax advantages. This strategy is bearing fruit, as foreign direct investments (FDI) are multiplied by 5 in a decade, reaching nearly 1.75 billion dollars in 2023 (a trajectory that began in the years 2012-2015). The number of registered businesses is also exploding. Between 2014 and 2023, business creations increase from 6,487 to more than 25,000 per year, a trend whose beginnings date back to the mid-2010s. This entrepreneurial dynamism reflects a newfound confidence in the Ivorian institutional and regulatory framework, long perceived as unstable by economic operators. However, it is important to note that despite these remarkable performances, the Ivorian industry of this period remains faced with structural challenges which temper optimism. Namely the low qualification of the local workforce and the geographic concentration of industrial activity in the Abidjan district.

At the end of the 2010-2020 decade, Côte d'Ivoire can display a generally positive industrial balance sheet. Starting from socio-political ruins, it has succeeded in rebuilding an active industrial fabric, attracting international investors and laying the foundations for a structural transformation of its economy. The investment rate, long stuck below 10%, now exceeds 25%, a sign of an economy that once again believes in its future. But the Ivorian industrial renaissance remains unfinished. Dependence on exports of raw products has not been overcome, sectoral diversification remains insufficient, and the benefits of growth have not yet equitably irrigated all segments of the population nor all regions of the country.