Stakeholders participating at the Cote d’Ivoire validation workshop in Abidjan on 12 March 2025.
The Government of Côte d’Ivoire, in collaboration with TradeMark Africa (TMA), continues to advance trade facilitation through various strategic engagements with partners in the country and the West Africa region. As part of these ongoing efforts, a workshop was held in Abidjan on 12 March 2025 to validate a study on the restructuring of an external trade hub and specialised warehouses at major border posts. The initiative will facilitate the aggregation, processing, and storage of cereals for export.
Presided over by Mr. Serge Martial Bombo, standing in for the Director General of Foreign Trade, the workshop sought to validate the study’s findings and incorporate stakeholders’ insights on the proposed recommendations. Mr. Bombo, who serves as Secretary General of the National Export Council, reiterated the critical need for modernising trade infrastructure to improve efficiency and accessibility. He noted that the Government’s objective is to develop efficient and accessible trade infrastructure that aligns with international standards to mitigate post-harvest losses, enhance trade logistics, and stimulate economic growth.
Commissioned by TradeMark Africa and conducted by Artelia, a consulting firm, the study reflects the National Export Council’s commitment to establishing specialised warehouses at Côte d’Ivoire’s eight land borders. These locations include the Poro, Djuablin, Tonpki, Gbêkê, South Comoé, and Tchologo regions, with pilot sites studied in Bouaké (Adjouassou), Ferkessédougou (Nambonkaha), and the Noé border—an important trade gateway between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana—currently undergoing critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance efficiency, security, and trade facilitation.
“These initiatives, which we are undertaking jointly with our partners in Government and private sector, mark significant milestones in strengthening Côte d’Ivoire’s trade infrastructure, addressing logistical inefficiencies, and enhancing regional and international trade,” said Anthe Vrijlandt, TradeMark Africa’s Director of Strategy and Partnerships. The study also presents a master plan for the warehouse sites, assesses infrastructure requirements across locations—each spanning six hectares—and outlines technical measures to ensure the project’s feasibility. During the workshop, stakeholders had the opportunity to review an architectural model of the planned infrastructure and provide input to support the project’s successful implementation.
