Emirati interest in Côte d’Ivoire is moving from statements to signed documents, and housing is one of the clearest examples. Here is what has been announced, and what to watch.
What has been signed
- Housing: during an Ivorian government visit to the UAE in November 2024, memoranda of understanding were signed with Emirati investors for 25,000 homes for low-income families and 7,000 socio-economic homes.
- Financing: a loan of US$50 million (about CFA 31 billion) from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development for social housing programmes, covering rent-to-own, rental and direct sale.
- Industrial zones: a memorandum for the development and management of industrial and economic zones.
The wider picture
- A visit in May 2025 was described as the largest UAE economic delegation to come to the country.
- The UAE submitted a draft comprehensive economic partnership agreement in 2023; it was still under preparation in mid-2025.
- The Dubai–Abidjan Investment Forum, initiated by Dubai Chambers with the Ivorian chamber of commerce, takes place in Abidjan on 23–25 September 2026.
- In September 2026, Emirates and Côte d’Ivoire signed a tourism promotion protocol that also aims to position Abidjan airport as a regional hub.
What to watch
A memorandum is not a contract. Delivery will depend on land availability and title, financing structures, and buyer affordability. For an investor, the work now is to identify which projects are real, who the counterparties are, and on what terms.
This is where verification on the ground matters: land and promoter due diligence, structuring and local execution.
Sources: Abidjan.net (December 2024); KOACI (May 2025); Direction générale de l’Économie (July 2025); Afrik Soir (July 2026); allAfrica (September 2026). General information, not investment advice.