The Ivorian metallurgical industry underwent a profound change from 2018. That year, the country only had two industrial scrap metal processing units. A few years later, this figure increased to four active units, with a fifth whose achievements were being completed in 2023. Added to this are two units specialized in aluminum processing and two foundries dedicated to the manufacture of cast iron spare parts for agricultural machinery, testifying to a progressive diversification of the value chain.

A structuring political decision

Faced with this growth, the Ivorian government took a decisive step in September 2023 by suspending, by decree, the export of scrap metal, ferrous by-products, cast iron, as well as aluminum waste and scrap. This measure, valid for a period of ten years, aims to guarantee the supply of local processing units. It takes place in a context where the national annual absorption capacity for scrap metal and aluminum was projected at around 600,000 tonnes, a prospect closely linked to the strong demand from the construction sector, which consumes a lot of ferrous metals. class="ql-align-justify">If the industrial foundations are being consolidated, the institutional framework still needs to be built. The Ivorian authorities announced the creation of a sectoral regulatory body and a support mechanism for players in the sector a few years ago. These two tools are considered essential to guide the growth of the sector, attract new investors and guarantee the competitiveness of local companies in the face of imports. Players like Fer Ivoire, Aciéries de Côte d'Ivoire and Abidjan Métallurgie & Services (AMS) already illustrate the rise of an industrial fabric with a regional vocation. sovereign metallurgical company, one more link in its ambition to become a benchmark industrial hub in West Africa.