Economy
Cōte d'Ivoire is one of the more prosperous nations in Africa, with an expanding economy based primarily on agriculture. The nation maintains close economic ties with France. Since independence France has provided much of the skilled labor, managerial personnel, and private investment capital essential to economic growth.
Cōte d'Ivoire's basic currency unit is the CFA (African Financial Community) franc.
About two-thirds of the Ivorian workers are farmers, and agriculture provides most of the nation's foreign exchange earnings. Food crops—mainly rice, corn, yams, plantains, cassava, and taros—are widely grown both on the subsistence level and commercially. Production has generally kept pace with the needs of the growing population. Coffee and cacao beans are by far the chief cash and export crops. These crops are produced mainly on small farms, but plantation agriculture is also important.
Except for goats, sheep, and poultry, livestock is not widely kept by the Ivorians. Cattle raising is restricted by the tsetse, a disease-carrying fly that infests much of the country. The fishing industry is relatively well developed and has great potential for continued growth. Fish is a major source of protein, especially in the south.
Other major sectors of the economy include lumbering and manufacturing. Lumberin has contributed greatly to the nation's development since independence, with timber being a major export. Manufacturing consists mainly of agricultural processing, textile milling, petroleum refining, and the making of wood products, metal goods, and such basic chemical products as soap, paint, and fertilizer. Most of the manufacturing is done in Abidjan and Bouaké. Offshore oil fields supply part of the nation's petroleum. Other known mineral resources consist chiefly of diamonds, mined from alluvial sands along the coast, and iron ore deposits in the western uplands.
Cōte d'Ivoire's highway system is fairly extensive in the south, where most cities are accessible by paved routes. Elsewhere, most roads are unpaved. The only railway is a north-south line that links Abidjan with Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Deepwater ports are at Abidjan and San Pedro; Abidjan is the nation's chief port and one of the busiest in western Africa. The city also has an international airport.
