Côte d’Ivoire: CEPICI seeks to attract more Chinese investment

Côte d’Ivoire is seeking to attract more Chinese capital into its economy, with a focus on textiles, agro-processing, construction materials, transport and heavy industry as part of efforts to accelerate industrial development.

On the sidelines of the Intertextile Shanghai 2026 trade fair, an Ivorian delegation led by Solange Amichia, Director General of the Côte d’Ivoire Investment Promotion Centre (CEPICI), held a series of meetings with Asian manufacturers and investors to present investment opportunities in the country and turn business contacts into concrete projects.

The Ivorian push comes as Abidjan seeks to move its textile industry beyond raw cotton production. During the “Côte d’Ivoire Focus” event at Intertextile, the delegation, accompanied by Ivorian Ambassador to China Abou Dosso and officials from the Cotton, Cashew and Shea Council (CCA-K), promoted the development of an integrated value chain covering spinning, weaving, dyeing, garment manufacturing and finishing.

Côte d’Ivoire is also seeking investments that meet new industry standards, particularly in traceability, reducing the sector’s carbon footprint, the circular economy and innovation.

The CEPICI mission also identified opportunities beyond the textile sector. Xinyi Glass Group, a company specialising in automotive glass, is considering a $150 million investment in Côte d’Ivoire to build a facility producing windshields and automotive mirrors. The project is being presented as the first of its kind in Africa.

A market and feasibility study is expected to be carried out in October to assess the conditions for establishing the facility, including access to energy and gas. The availability of local raw materials will also be examined, with Côte d’Ivoire’s state mining company SODEMI potentially contributing to the identification of resources such as silica and dolomite needed for production.

In the mining and industrial sectors, Chinese group QIYIA has also confirmed its interest in Côte d’Ivoire. The company is considering expanding its investments into mining, processing, steelmaking and heavy industry. The group has also given its preliminary agreement to support the International Extractive Resources Exhibition (SIREXE) as a major sponsor.

The Shanghai mission is part of a broader effort to strengthen cooperation between the Ivorian and Chinese textile industries. On August 25, the CCA-K and the textile industry subcommittee of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade signed an agreement aimed at strengthening exchanges between businesses from the two countries, promoting investment and technology transfers, and developing the cotton, textile and apparel sectors.

Discussions were also held with Malaysian and Italian companies on developing the textile value chain and facilitating technology transfers.

Beyond individual business meetings, CEPICI organised a roundtable in Shanghai on August 28 focusing on investment opportunities linked to Côte d’Ivoire’s 2026-2030 National Development Plan. The meeting brought together Chinese and international investors and industrial companies.

Abidjan highlighted several sectors considered priorities for private investment, including agro-processing, construction materials, transport and textiles, while presenting reforms aimed at improving the business environment and facilitating the establishment of foreign companies.

The next major step will be the Côte d’Ivoire-China Economic Forum, scheduled for November 2026 in Abidjan. Several investors met in Shanghai have already expressed interest in attending the event.

For CEPICI, the challenge now is to move from promoting Côte d’Ivoire as an investment destination to turning investor interest into concrete projects. For Abidjan, the objective is to transform Chinese investment interest into factories, industrial capacity, jobs and new sources of economic growth.