CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S COMEBACK: THE REVIVAL OF IVORIAN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY

The document analyzes Côte d’Ivoire's transition from a passive actor during decades of crisis to a re-emerging regional power under President Alassane Ouattara. It examines the institutional framework of Ivorian diplomacy, its bilateral relations with neighbors, and its leadership roles within regional organizations like UEMOA and ECOWAS, while noting the enduring influence of Félix Houphouët-Boigny's legacy.

• Since the election of President Alassane Ouattara in 2011, Côte d’Ivoire has transitioned from being an 'object' of international diplomacy back to an active regional actor, focusing on a policy of 'good neighbourliness' to foster stability and economic prosperity.
• Côte d’Ivoire maintains a dominant economic position within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), accounting for approximately 30% of the zone's GDP and 60% of its exports, which grants it significant influence over the union's direction and the appointment of the Central Bank of West African States governor.
• The country has sought to restore its influence in ECOWAS, highlighted by President Ouattara's chairmanship from 2012 to 2014, during which the organization increased its number of commissioners to 15 and progressed toward a common external tariff and a regional economic partnership agreement with the EU.
• Ivorian regional diplomacy is characterized by a return to appeasement and interdependence with its five neighbors, although specific territorial and maritime disputes persist, such as a maritime border conflict with Ghana over the Jubilee Oil Field and territorial tensions with Guinea over the village of Kpéaba.
• The Ivorian government is reforming its diplomatic apparatus to match its ambitions, which includes opening 15 new embassies (including in Benin, Botswana, Kenya, and Mauritius), establishing the Diplomatic Institute of Côte d’Ivoire, and restructuring the army to make it a credible tool for regional diplomacy.
• Côte d’Ivoire maintains strategic, collegial relations with other major powers, including Nigeria (the lead state of the anglophone sphere), South Africa (with whom it signed a bilateral joint co-operation commission in 2015), and global partners such as France, the US, and China.

APA

Padonou, O. (2016). CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S COMEBACK: THE REVIVAL OF IVORIAN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Occasional-Paper-247.pdf

Chicago

Padonou, Oswald. CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S COMEBACK: THE REVIVAL OF IVORIAN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Occasional-Paper-247.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Padonou |first1=Oswald |title=CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S COMEBACK: THE REVIVAL OF IVORIAN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Occasional-Paper-247.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{padonou2016cte, author = {Padonou, Oswald}, title = {{CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S COMEBACK: THE REVIVAL OF IVORIAN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Occasional-Paper-247.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }