Corruption in Côte d'Ivoire

Forms of corruption

Corruption is present in different agencies of Côte d'Ivoire’s government such as the customs, judiciary, and land administration departments. It is particularly notable in the public procurement processes and manifests in several forms such as bribery, embezzlement, extortion, and nepotism.

Public procurement

Corruption in Côte d'Ivoire's public procurement system is facilitated by a lack of transparency and weak oversight, leading to frequent instances of bid-rigging, favoritism in awarding contracts, and inflated contracts. Limited access to government information means that data on these corrupt practices often relies on reports from non-governmental organizations, such as Social Justice, which has documented cases and their impact on vulnerable sectors like real estate and agriculture. This problem is further aggravated by the country’s unclear legal framework, which leads to an inability to follow the procurement regulations.

In 2018, an infrastructure corruption scandal exposed fraudulent road construction contracts, revealing that projects were awarded to companies with inflated bids. A similar pattern emerged in the telecommunications sector the following year, with overpriced contracts going to firms closely connected to government officials. The funds obtained through these contracts are often siphoned off through money laundering.

High-level corruption

By 2018, the prosecutor’s office has reported cases of corruption being investigated and these include former general directors, elected representatives, and financial directors. The judiciary is also susceptible to corruption. Despite the constitutional guarantee for the independence of the Ivorian judiciary, it has in practice succumbed to political pressure and corruption induced by external forces. In 2017, Transparency International identified corruption in the judiciary as a major hindrance to doing business in Côte d'Ivoire.

Former ministers such as Guillaume Soro (Transport), Mamadou Sangafowa (Agriculture), Raymonde Goudou Coffie (Health), Kandia Camara (Education) were each implicated in corruption scandals that involve nepotism or the awarding of contracts to unqualified companies they have close ties with, diversion/misappropriation of funds, and mismanagement. Soro, for instance, was accused of embezzling public funds and was prosecuted for multiple corruption charges. Despite the rounds of investigations and prosecutions, there is low conviction rate for those involved in corrupt practices.

Bureaucratic processes are also riddled with corruption. A World Bank survey, for example, revealed that businesses are expected to give a gift in order to obtain an operating license. Similarly, individuals who are obtaining documents such official stamps, birth certificates, and car permits, among others, often entail unofficial payments.

Corruption also exists in the private sector. For example, the cocoa industry – a crucial part of the Ivorian economy – is plagued with allegations of corruption. It includes illicit financial flows, tax evasion, and mismanagement of funds. Cocoa along with other products such as coffee and cashew are bought using cash, which makes it difficult to trace the financial flow to determine financial malfeasance. Another form of embezzlement present in Côte d’Ivoire involves the use of political office to secure and expand private business interests. For example, friends and family members of politicians have obtained redistributed state enterprises. At one point, a sitting president’s family owned the largest coffee and cocoa plantations in the country.