WAEMU: Trade between Togo and Côte d’Ivoire has halved since 2017 (BCEAO)

Economy
Monday, 13 March 2023 13:44
WAEMU: Trade between Togo and Côte d’Ivoire has halved since 2017 (BCEAO)

(Togo First) - Ivorian exports to Togo fell by 50% in 2017-2021. The data, released by the BCEAO, puts the value of the exports at 29.2 billion CFA in 2021, against 66.7 billion CFA in 2017.

In the opposite direction, the dynamic was the same. Exports from Togo to Côte d’Ivoire fell as well, from 11.6 billion in 2017 to 4.3 billion in 2021. 

The two countries trade mainly energy products, oils, perfumes, beauty products, soaps…

It is worth noting that the official data does not fully reflect the actual value of trade between Togo and Côte d’Ivoire. The figures do not take into account the extensive use of unofficial trade channels between neighboring countries. These channels, although informal, are at the heart of cross-border trade, particularly in border areas where economic activity is very dynamic. United Nations figures show that trade between the two countries is much more dynamic than reported by the Central Bank.

According to the BCEAO report, Benin was the only other country (Besides Togo) in the WAEMU to record a drop in its imports from Côte d’Ivoire – from 43 billion to 29 billion – over the period under review.

Fiacre E. Kakpo

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