Since its creation in 2012, CEPICI has played a key role in accelerating private enterprise establishment in Côte d’Ivoire. By introducing a one-stop shop that centralizes the Commercial Court Registry, tax authorities, social security services, and notarial services, the country reduced the average business creation time from 40 days in 2008 to 7 days in 2018. This remarkable progress helped Côte d’Ivoire move from the 155th to the 44th position (out of 190 countries) in the « Starting a Business » category of the Doing Business rankings.

As a result of these reforms-combined with an incentive-based investment code-the number of newly created businesses increased dramatically, rising from 2,775 in 2013 to 14,812 in 2018, representing a growth of over 400% in five years. These encouraging results highlight Côte d’Ivoire’s stronger appeal to international investors, the growing enthusiasm of local entrepreneurs, and the successful awareness campaigns encouraging informal actors to formalize their activities.

Overview of SME creation in côte d’iovire according to the Doing Business 2019 ranking, Côte d’Ivoire performs particularly well in business creation, with a score of 93.7/100, placing it 26th worldwide.

However, there is a lack of reliable statistics on the sustainability of newly created businesses. While foreign direct investment (FDI) projects benefiting from preferential regimes are monitored both statistically and administratively, the same cannot be said for most SMEs created by local entrepreneurs. As a result, it remains difficult to accurately assess the survival rate of start-ups and their real impact on the national economy.

In many Western countries, more than 50% of new businesses close within five years. Although data is scarce, the failure rate in Côte d’Ivoire is likely higher due to insufficient preparation by entrepreneurs and the limited strength of the local start-up support ecosystem. Consequently, SME support has become a key concern for the government, development partners, and private sector actors.

Institutional Framework and Key Players

Growing interest in entrepreneurship has led to the emergence of various support structures and the revitalization of existing ones. In March 2014, the Ivorian government adopted Law No. 2014-140 establishing the national SME policy, which resulted in the creation of the Côte d’Ivoire SME Agency (Agence CI PME). Its responsibilities were later defined by Decree No. 2016-1120 of December 7, 2016.

The mission of Agence CI PME is to promote SMEs and support the implementation of the national SME development strategy through actions aimed at:

1. Promoting SME creation;

2. Improving SME access to financing and markets;

3. Enhancing the business environment;

4. Fostering an entrepreneurial and innovative culture.

Launched in 2018, the agency is expected to play a cross-cutting role as its tools become fully operational: a business incubator (already functional), a business observatory, and a guarantee fund.

Alongside Agence CI PME, other institutional actors accompany entrepreneurs before, during, and after the business creation process.

1. Before Business Creation

At the project stage, entrepreneurs mainly need training and guidance to develop a realistic business plan capable of assessing the viability and feasibility of their idea. While many consulting firms offer business plan services, they do not always provide entrepreneurs with the tools needed to use these plans as effective management instruments later on.

In recent years, this gap has been partly filled by business plan competitions, initiated on a large scale in 2009 by the World Bank and TechnoServe through the project “Un projet, des emplois, j’y crois”.

This model involves:

• Pre-selection of promising business ideas;

• Training shortlisted candidates in business planning and management;

• Final selection after presentations to a panel of experts.

Two major competitions have since become established in Côte d’Ivoire:

• The CGECI Academy;

• The Alassane Ouattara Prize for Emerging Young Entrepreneurs, organized by the Governorate of Abidjan.

These competitions help entrepreneurs refine their ideas, even though fewer than 20% receive financial awards. Together, they have contributed to the creation of over 300 new businesses in nine years.

Other sector-specific competitions include the Orange Social Entrepreneur Prize, which attracts applicants from across Africa.

The Ivorian Enterprise Institute (INIE) uses a different approach: it identifies business opportunities in specific sectors, develops and tests viable SME models, and then replicates them by training entrepreneurs nationwide through public-private partnerships. Though still expanding, this model is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

2. During Business Creation

At this stage, entrepreneurs face key considerations:

• Choosing the appropriate legal structure;

• Selecting the best tax regime;

• Determining how to allocate available funds between share capital and shareholder loans.

However, few seek guidance from tax or management advisors. Most rely solely on CEPICI, which provides general information on legal and tax procedures. Although CEPICI advisors explain requirements clearly, their mandate does not include in-depth advisory support—meaning they do not assist entrepreneurs in understanding the long-term implications of their decisions.

3. Following Business Creation

The period immediately after business creation is the most critical, as it requires rapid operational deployment and active commercial development to prevent initial capital from being consumed by start-up and fixed costs.

Several actors now specialize in supporting SMEs during this phase, particularly incubators and accelerators—often free and accessible through competitive selection processes organized by the CGECI, the Governorate of Abidjan, or telecom operators.

These programs typically offer:

• Physical incubation (workspaces, internet, telephony);

• Business management training;

• Mentorship from experts or experienced entrepreneurs;

• Networking opportunities;

• Access to grants or seed funding.

Telecom-driven accelerators also provide partnership opportunities that enable ICT start-ups to scale more easily.

Paid incubators have also emerged—around a dozen—including Dream Factory (Agence CI PME), Jokkolabs, Incub’Ivoir, Aziko Hub, ADN Factory, and Dekko Group. Aside from grants and mentorship, they offer services similar to those of free incubators.

The rise of co-working spaces has further contributed to the ecosystem, with more than ten in Abidjan—such as Regus, The Corporate Square, CO.Lab, Assoya, Grasien Group, Ovillage, EliteBuro, Seedspace, InnovHouse, and AMN Coworking Space. These spaces provide flexible work solutions and encourage creativity and collaboration among entrepreneurs.

Côte d’Ivoire’s entrepreneurial support ecosystem is progressively taking shape, driven largely by government initiatives and partnerships aimed at promoting SMEs. However, its current scale remains insufficient compared to actual demand.

Of the 14,812 companies created in 2018, fewer than 5% likely benefited from business plan development support through competitions, and less than 1% accessed incubation or acceleration programs.

To improve SME survival and growth rates, the private sector must play a more active role in supporting start-ups. Beyond Approved Management Centers and accounting firms, consulting companies must assist SMEs in addressing day-to-day strategic and operational challenges. These actors will need to innovate and develop mechanisms—beyond state subsidies—to make their services accessible and affordable for emerging businesses.