Last-Mile Logistics & Warehousing SME Serving the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor Modernisation Programme

Côte d'Ivoire is West Africa's dominant economic engine, with FDI inflows hitting an all-time high of $3.802 billion in 2024 — the only CFA franc-zone country ranked among Africa's top 10 most attractive FDI destinations per UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2025. GDP growth of 6.1% in 2024 is projected to average 6.3% in 2025–2026, driven by cocoa industrialisation, digital transformation, and accelerating infrastructure investment. The government's incoming 2025–2030 National Development Plan doubles down on digitisation, value-added processing, and green growth, while the EU Economic Partnership Agreement and AfCFTA membership give Ivorian-made goods preferential access to both European and continental markets. A landmark $235M Transcao PK24 cocoa-grinding complex was inaugurated in June 2025, 26,948 companies were registered domestically in 2025 (+6% YoY), and the December 2025 Finance Act extended fiscal incentives for digital start-ups, signalling a government push to attract mid-market and diaspora capital into agri-processing and ICT.

Côte d'Ivoire is an active participant in the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor modernisation programme — which includes customs digitisation and inter-agency connectivity — and a February 2025 bill establishing new regulations for industrial zones (including the PK24 zone) has unlocked a wave of construction and warehousing demand. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and CCI-Côte d'Ivoire reaffirmed their MOU at the 2025 Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, signalling continued bilateral commercial momentum that drives import/export freight volumes.

Market drivers:

- Vast road and bridge construction projects are reshaping import structures and stimulating demand for transport equipment and logistics services

- Côte d'Ivoire's port infrastructure serves as the supply gateway for landlocked Sahel countries, guaranteeing durable regional freight volumes

- AfCFTA membership (since 2021) and the EU Economic Partnership Agreement create duty-free trade lanes that incentivise cross-border logistics investment

Risks:

- Logistics infrastructure gaps — inefficient road checkpoints and high energy costs — can compress margins for SME operators

- Regional insecurity in the Sahel hinterland (Mali, Burkina Faso) could periodically disrupt transborder freight and reduce corridor volumes