Ivory Coast is a West African country located on the Gulf of Guinea, with a population of around 25 million people. The main ethnic group is Akan, making up around 42% of the population. Other ethnic groups include Voltaic, Mande and Krou. The majority of Ivorians are Christian, with other religions such as Islam and traditional African religions making up much of the remaining population. Additionally, there is also a small Hindu minority living in Ivory Coast as well. The literacy rate in Ivory Coast is close to 56%, and the average life expectancy is 59 years. Check hyperrestaurant to learn more about Ivory Coast in 2009.
Social conditions
The civil war in the early 2000s destroyed much of the Ivory Coast’s healthcare system. Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of IC and acronym for Ivory Coast. The northern part of the country was particularly hard hit. Only half of the population has access to basic health care. With African dimensions, the Ivory Coast is a rich country, but at the same time it is characterized by large class divisions and regional differences. Unemployment is high, after the civil war 40-50%. Nearly half of the population lives on less than $ 2 a day. Especially in the northern parts of the country and in the slums in the major cities of Yamoussoukro and Abidjan, there is widespread malnutrition.
In 2005, 4% of GDP was spent on health care. 750,000 people were then estimated to be living with AIDS – one of the highest numbers in West Africa. In 2004, there were one doctor and six nurses per 10,000 residents. In 2006, 17% of children were born underweight, and 127 ‰ died before the age of five. 81% of the population had access to clean water and 24% to satisfactory wastewater. Check to see Ivory Coast population.
Child labor is common, especially in agriculture and industry, even though children under 14 are not allowed to work. Only a small part of the population is unionized. Previously, there was only one authorized union organization in the Ivory Coast, the Union Générale des Travailleurs de Côte d’Ivoire (UGTCI). In connection with the introduction of multi-party systems, several other trade unions arose, often linked to the parties. Although discrimination against union members is prohibited by law, it often occurs in practice.
December
The FPI will run in the 2021 parliamentary elections
December 23rd
FPI, the party of former president Laurent Gbagbo, says it will participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for the first quarter of 2021. It will be the first time in ten years that the party does not boycott an election. The FPI held power in Côte d’Ivoire between 2000 and 2010. However, the FPI is split into two factions, one behind former President Gbagbo and one supporting his former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan.
The opposition boycotts the ceremony for Ouattara
December 14
President Alassane Ouattara is sworn in for his third term as president. Thirteen foreign heads of state and government, as well as French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the ceremony, which will be boycotted by the opposition. Ouattara calls on the opposition to take action to reduce tensions over the October presidential election (see October 2020). He also promises to set up a new ministry for national reconciliation. One of the opposition candidates from the presidential election, Kouadio Konan Bertin, is appointed shortly afterwards to lead it.
Bauxite mine reopens
December 5th
Côte d’Ivoire’s only bauxite mine, opened in 2019, will reopen, following a halt in production from 31 October due to political unrest in the country. According to the mining company LEB’s manager, security has been strengthened around the mine, which is located in the central Moronou region.
Conflict with chocolate makers escalates
December 2
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana accuse major chocolate makers and cocoa traders of failing to pay the $ 400 per tonne of cocoa premium introduced in 2019 to help poor smallholder farmers in the two countries. This is an escalation of an ongoing conflict between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together account for more than 60% of the world’s cocoa production, and the confectionery industry. Several of the companies reject the information. However, it is clear that one of them, the American Hershey, has started buying cocoa via the futures market in New York instead of directly from the cocoa dealers and that it has thus been able to circumvent the premium payment. This is happening at the same time as the corona pandemic has reduced the demand for chocolate. The state companies that handle the cocoa trade in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana also decide to suspend Hershey from sustainable cultivation projects in the two countries. Cocoa prices fell sharply in the spring of 2020, but are now back at the same level as before the corona crisis.