Cote d'Ivoire was an economicsuccess story in the first twenty years of independence, buta sharp reversal began in 1980 and by 1993 per capitaincomes was back to the level of 1960.Devaluation of theAfrican Financial Community (CFA) franc triggered aneconomic rebound, but this was soon undermined by thepolitical crisis beginning in 1999.Just as the economy wasstarting to move forward, a new crisis struck in early 2011,with considerable loss of life and assets.Gross DomesticProduct (GDP) growth will be significantly negative in 2011,after 30 years of almost uninterrupted decline in per capitaincomes and a rise in poverty from 10 percent in 1985 to 43percent in 2008.The country is in urgent need of rapid andinclusive growth to reduce poverty, create jobs, providehope for a better future, and help heal the wounds in thesocial fabric. The report devotes some attention to two keybackbone services transport and telecommunications. Thetransport sector facilitates exports of goods, and access toessential imports, but also represents a service export inits own right (for neighboring land-locked countries). Thefocus here is on the 'soft' side of transportprocedures, regulations and services which are oftenoverlooked in favor of hard infrastructure investments.Improvements on the soft side are typically morecost-effective if only because they cost little or no money.
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