It seems that after ten years of civil war, Ivory Coast is economically booming. As a matter of fact, confidence in the country has been recovered since Ouattara has been elected. After having raised more than 750 billion dollars last year on the financial market (50% more than expected), new signs of economic recovery are coming out - actually, Air France decided a few days ago to open its first A380 link with subsaharian Africa to Abidjan, a great sign of confidence in the country ability to become again a regional power alongside Ghana and Nigeria, and a major francophone country as it produces more than a third of the GPD of the UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union), a francophone economic union.
Moreover, this is not the only exceptionnal advantage that Abidjan has - the country is also about to build the first urban train in subsaharian Africa in the economic capital city. This major building will create hundreds of employements and will constitute a great mean to favorise communication within a mushrooming city like Abidjan. And no surprise in there, this new means of transport will connect Abidjan Airport to the heart of the city. An initiative that will first and foremost benefit to the lower classes whose living places are often far away from their jobs in the economic heart of the city - Le Plateau.
No doubt, all these will help the country to develop itself and benefit to a major part of the population.
Romain
sources (french)
(1) http://economie.jeuneafrique.com/regions/afrique-subsaharienne/22611-la-cote-d-ivoire-leve-750-millions-de-dollars-sur-les-marches-internationaux.html
(2) http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/Monde/La-Cote-d-Ivoire-decolle-l-Airbus-A380-y-atterrit-Une-economie-dynamique-2014-10-31-1257541
(3) http://news.abidjan.net/h/478643.html
(4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpwOc_U2-e8 (urban train promotional video)
