Consolidating the Regional Diplomacy of Côte d’Ivoire

The document analyzes Côte d’Ivoire's efforts to relaunch its regional diplomacy under President Alassane Ouattara following two decades of instability. It highlights the country's economic strength as a primary asset and its goal to become an emerging economy by 2020. Key challenges include the need for security sector reform, national reconciliation, and the professionalization of its diplomatic corps to better align with the integration goals of ECOWAS and UEMOA.

• President Alassane Ouattara has sought to restore Côte d’Ivoire's regional leadership through a two-pronged strategy that balances regional peace and security issues with the pursuit of economic development objectives.
• Côte d’Ivoire possesses significant economic leverage in West Africa, ranking as the first-largest economic power in the UEMOA zone and the third-largest in the ECOWAS zone, with a 2013 GDP of $30.91 billion.
• The country's diplomatic capacity was severely diminished by over a decade of war and instability, leading to a period where its political influence in West Africa was modest compared to its economic weight, particularly when compared to Ghana, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.
• To improve its regional standing, Côte d’Ivoire must address internal stability factors, including national reconciliation, the management of migration, the 2015 elections, and the implementation of security sector reform (SSR) to create a military capable of a regional role.
• The document identifies a need to modernize the diplomatic apparatus by creating a coherent career path for diplomats, increasing inter-ministerial synergy, and engaging civil society and academia.
• Côte d’Ivoire aims to qualify as an emerging economy by 2020, aligning its goals with the ECOWAS Vision 2020, which seeks to create a single economic region with a community parliament, a central bank, and a single currency.

APA

Padonou, O. (2014). Consolidating the Regional Diplomacy of Côte d’Ivoire. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-110.pdf

Chicago

Padonou, Oswald. Consolidating the Regional Diplomacy of Côte d’Ivoire. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-110.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Padonou |first1=Oswald |title=Consolidating the Regional Diplomacy of Côte d’Ivoire |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-110.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{padonou2014consolidating, author = {Padonou, Oswald}, title = {{Consolidating the Regional Diplomacy of Côte d’Ivoire}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-110.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }