Côte d'Ivoire

Political stability has paved the way for strong economic growth in Côte d'Ivoire over the past decade, with increased investment in basic social services and a reduction in poverty.  

Despite progress, challenges such as food insecurity, malnutrition and gender inequalities persist, with over a third of people still living below the poverty line. 

The Government’s five-year National Development Plan aims to transform the country into a middle-income economy by 2030. It focuses on advancing the nation’s human capital, which includes improving people’s health and skills.

Northern Côte d'Ivoire is affected by the spillover of the crisis in the Central Sahel, particularly conflict and instability in Burkina Faso. According to UNHCR, over 67,000 asylum seekers have fled into Bounkani and Tchologo regions. The majority of these are women and children. 

Most asylum-seekers arrive with meagre belongings if any and have very limited access to livelihoods opportunities. A total 19 percent of this population is settled in two transit sites of Timala (Bounkani region) and Niornigué (Tchologo region), set up by the Government in July 2023, while the remaining 81 percent settled outside the sites within the host communities. This growing influx creates additional pressure on meagre resources and exacerbates food insecurity among both asylum seekers and poor host communities. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) is placing an increased focus on capacity building, to ensure that programmes can be owned by the Government and communities. WFP activities in Côte d’Ivoire also encompass life-saving operations, resilience-building activities, climate adaptative programming, and institutional system strengthening.