Ivory Coast Private Sector [Beta] » Business

Ivory Coast 2012 Perspectives

tape — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:03:44 +0000

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Ivorian entrepreneur Ismael Coulibaly shares his insight on what the future holds for economic agents and investors in Ivory Coast:

“The Government
Since the change of power in Ivory Coast ending the political crisis, new prospects and perspectives are opening up for a country that couple of months ago was heading straight for the abyss. Now more than ever, we are assisting at a real ballet of investors knocking at the doors of the country.

Financial Prospects
To be honest as far as I remember, Commercial Banks in West Africa (French speaking countries at least) has always been very mediocre, crappie just to say the least. The very low level of access to banking services, says a lot about the banking situation in the region.

Private Sector
Projections for Ivory Coast in 2012 seems to indicate that it will be a great year. If you are savvy and spend time doing your homework, there are killer opportunities on the horizon and the cake is BIG enough. Regus, the global leader in office space rental, opened couple months ago.”

|Diary of An Ivorian Entrepreneur|The Scramble for Ivory Coast Land (ivorycoastprivatesector.com)

|Interview|Olivier de Lavette of Regus Cote d’Ivoire-Part One

tape — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:11:07 +0000

ICPS :What were your criteria for entering the Ivorian market?

We had been planning to open a centre in Ivory Coast for a while but the difficult political context in the last year had forced us to delay the actual opening. We believe now is a good time in helping local and international companies seize business opportunities in Abidjan as the country’s economy comeback begins.

A gradual recovery is expected in 2012 (+5.9%) based on the hypothesis of the security situation returning to normal in the second half of 2011, the sanctions being lifted and international co-operation being resumed.

Regus’s own research in West Africa backs this bullish forecast. The Regus Business Confidence Index released earlier this month sees more West African businesses also report increasing revenue (65%) and healthy profit (53%) growth. 59% of West African businesses believe that recovery is advancing strongly in their country with confidence levels were twenty-six points above the global average.

Also, the commitment of development partners to support the Ivorian authorities in their efforts for reconciliation and reconstruction will enable trust to be restored, thus fostering private-sector development.

ICPS: What is your view on the local office space supplying market?

OL:As the utilization of an office today is typically only 45 percent, empty desks no longer make sense in a world where mobility and agility will become accepted by people as the most effective and sustainable way of working.

The IDC predicts that Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA), will see its mobile worker population grow to 153.2 million by 2013 (International Data Corporation). The low penetration of mobile workers in the region (13.5%) signals significant growth potential in this market.

There is already a flexible revolution happening amongst the innovative classes in Sub Saharan Africa, the increasing demand we’ve got for our flexible working solutions is a patent illustration of this. We have opened our first centre in Abidjan, as a response to this considerable demand in the city and will expand accordingly.

ICPS:What are the solutions you offer to this particular market? What are the specific needs you identified?

OL:As a flexible work platform, in Ivory Coast like everywhere else, we provide our clients a new way of working, highly efficient and cost-effective.

In Ivory Coast as more generally in Africa, the biggest challenge for SMEs is to become medium sized and large enterprises, thereby addressing the issue of “the missing middle”. Indeed, a distinction has to be drawn between business owners whose sole objective is to secure subsistence income from their activities (mostly micro/very small enterprises) and entrepreneurs who wish to grow their businesses and extend their financial base (mostly SMEs). Still fewer in number, the latter are playing a key role in any sustainable development strategy.

The “missing middle” is one of the greatest constraints to private sector development in Africa. Addressing their needs to do business more effectively by allowing them to find flexible workspace and, therefore, reduce the costs, is where Regus can best help SMEs to grow in Africa.

PART TWO NEXT WEEK ..

Nouvel Hair-A Boutique Hair Salon

tape — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:52:50 +0000

Nouvel Hair from AfricaincorpMN on Vimeo.

In this video the owner of Nouvel Hair gives us a brief description of his business, the services offered and why you should go there when and if you are in Abidjan.

Nouvel Hair is a boutique Hair Salon located on Rue de Jardin in 2 Plateaux,Cocody,Abidjan,Cote d’Ivoire,West Coast of United States of Africa

Africa Virtual Job Fair

tape — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:38:57 +0000

The Africa Virtual Job Fair (AVJF) is a dynamic opportunity for employers in the public and private sectors, organizations, and other hiring entities as well as job seekers ranging in experience from seasoned professionals to graduating students to use Internet-based recruitment and career advisory services for their employment needs. Attendees enjoy browsing employment opportunities, submitting resumes, event networking and even conducting an interview – all at no cost and in the comfort of their own home or office.
The Virtual Job Fair will offer many of the same benefits to employers and job-seekers as a physical job fair. Navigating around the virtual event is simple. Employers and job-seekers can access all areas of the Virtual Job Fair from any computer screen. The Virtual Job Fair will have multiple floors hosting a variety of employment opportunities and organizations. This state-of-the-art web-based tool makes it easy for job seekers and employers to connect virtually from all over the world.

1)What are the virtual job fair main advantages:
2)Fast and easy registration
3)Create and update multiple CVs/résumés and cover letters
4)Live chat with representatives of participating organizations
5)Opportunity to participate and engage in live discussions on various topics about Africa and employment opportunities
6)Find career opportunities, temporary project assignments, and internships in Africa
7)Search opportunities by country or region
8)Access employers’ information and their vacancies online
9)Eliminate travel cost by participating from the comfort of your home or office
10)Eliminate time constraints – join in at your convenience
11)Visit the site and view updated opportunities daily, available on demand for 90 days
12)Sign up for job alerts specific to your needs

Job Boards Are So Over. TalentSeekr Targets And Recruits Through Ads Instead. (techcrunch.com)
New Online Job Site: Cheaper Than Craigslist Better Than Career Builder (prweb.com)
Are You Looking For a Job Backwards? (usnews.com)

Identification of Receptive Hoteliers, Restaurants and Night Clubs In Abidjan

tape — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:26:14 +0000

[Click on the post title to read article in full]

The identification of receptive hoteliers, restaurants and night clubs in Côte d’Ivoire starts on Monday 20 July.

For 10 days, enumerators will criss-cross the various communes of Abidjan to collect information on the capacity, quality of service, comfort pricing,and accessability of the numerous hotels, restaurants and maquis available in the District of Abidjan.

The outcome ,of what is the first step in executing a clear program put in place by the federation of the hotel industry in Ivory Coast common policy of reservation, marketing, promotion and control.

Professionals in the hospitality industry should wholeheartly to adhere to this massive project that will provide a reliable database on which will comprise the strategy to revive the tourism sector

Objectifs Hebdo- An economics,Financial News and Analysis Newspaper

tape — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:15:42 +0000

Objectifs Hebdo is an economics,financial news and analysis publication,precisely circulated in Abidjan,Cote d’Ivoire. The Editor in chief is Theophile Kouamouo .