The Ivoirian government’s focus on infrastructure projects and request for financing from private investors in form of Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) and Build-Operate-and-Transfer (BOT) creates robust commercial opportunities in this sector.

Overview

The Ivoirian government prioritizes investments in infrastructure.  The increase in demand for cement (6 million tons in 2020 against 8 million in 2021) and construction materials reflects the sector’s dynamism.  Côte d’Ivoire welcomes foreign engineering, procurement, and project management expertise.  The $536.7 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact focusing on education and transportation offers excellent opportunities for U.S. and international firms.  The Compact comprises two main projects: 

1. Road construction and rehabilitation, including technical assistance in road-traffic safety and maintenance management, environmental and social protection, and resettlement of displaced residents in greater Abidjan, and

2. Construction of dozens of secondary schools in the regions of Gbêke and San Pedro and  of two teacher-training campuses and up to four technical vocational education centers, as well as technical assistance in teacher training reforms, education information management systems, gender policy implementation, and environmental, social and resettlement management.

MCC and its Ivoirian counterpart, the Millennium Challenge Account-Côte d’Ivoire (MCA-CI), are developing a Truck Parking and Logistics Center as a Public Private Partnership (PPP), to serve the Port of Abidjan, one of the largest in West Africa.  This blended-finance transaction seeks to leverage private investment and expertise to reduce congestion in Abidjan and increase efficiency of goods moving through the Port.  MCA-CI publishes all upcoming procurements online. MCC will also procure some services from independent engineers and evaluators.  These opportunities can be found at https://www.mcc.gov/work-with-us/mcc-business as well as Contract Opportunities at  https://sam.gov/content/home.  Please consult the MCA-CI and MCC websites regularly, as requests for proposals are posted as they are approved.  For additional information regarding the Compact, please consult the MCC website.

Leading Sub-Sectors

There are sales prospects in:

• Building materials for residential housing and commercial buildings
• Port security services and equipment
• Water and sanitation equipment and services  

• Heavy equipment for infrastructure projects
• Engineering, procurement, and construction management services.

Opportunities

International financial institutions, like the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), finance infrastructure projects for which U.S. companies can compete.  Significant opportunities exist to sell construction equipment as well as provide engineering, procurement, and construction services to the National Office for Technical and Development Studies (BNETD), the agency charged with assisting the government with the study, design, and implementation of infrastructure projects.  

Similar opportunities exist within the private sector.  Throughout Côte d’Ivoire, there is a shortage of suitable housing  for the population as well as for the public authorities.  Local builders’ efforts to satisfy the demand for housing generate a complementary demand for air conditioning and refrigeration systems for large-scale housing such as apartment buildings.  According to the AfDB this gap is expected to persist and probably grow, given the high population growth rate of 2.6 percent per year.  The Ivoirian civil code provides for the enforcement of private property rights, and the government has undertaken reform to secure property rights.  The government is publicly supportive of building more ecologically friendly housing and improving urban land management, which offers opportunities for American services and products.

Resources

Tradeshows:

• SIBAT-Expo (annually in mid-October)
• Abidjan Infrastructure Fair (SIA) (annually in May-June)
• Architects and construction professionals show (ARCHIBAT) (annually in December)
• Construction press (BATIRICI)

Relevant government entities:

• Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Urbanism (Ministère de la Construction, du Logement, et de l’Urbanisme); (http://construction.gouv.ci/contacts/)
• Ministry of Road Equipment and Maintenance (Ministère de l’Équipement Routier et de la Maintenance); www.equipement.gov.ma/en/Pages/home.aspx)
• National Committee for Public-Private-Partnerships (Comité National du Partenariat-Public-Privé)
• Construction and Public Works Business Association (Association des Entreprises des Travaux Publics)
• National Office for Technical Studies and Development (BNETD) (Bureau National d’Études Techniques et de Devéloppement)
• Road Management Agency (Agence pour la Gestion des Routes).