• Emergency plan targets outages linked to grid overload in Abidjan
• Rising demand driven by heat wave has strained infrastructure
• Long-term investments aim to strengthen and modernize the network

The Ivorian government has announced the rollout of an emergency program worth about CFA32 billion ($56.2 million) to address ongoing electricity outages across the country.

Speaking after the Council of Ministers on April 1, government spokesperson Amadou Coulibaly said the plan is intended to put an end to the disruptions currently affecting several areas.

“The situation will be definitively resolved with the implementation of the national electricity network rehabilitation program. Instructions have been given for the deployment of this emergency plan,” he said.

In recent weeks, power cuts reported in several districts of Greater Abidjan have triggered widespread complaints. According to the minister, about 80% of these disruptions are caused by overuse of cables and transformer capacity limits, leading to voltage drops.

He added that electricity demand has surged due to a heat wave about 14% above normal levels, placing additional pressure on existing infrastructure.

Since 2014, Côte d’Ivoire’s electricity system has been based on an integrated model involving multiple actors, from generation to distribution. Over this period, national generation capacity has expanded significantly, rising from 1,391 MW in 2011 to 3,019 MW in 2024, an increase of 117%.

Despite this progress, disparities remain, particularly in rural areas that are still underserved. Growing electricity demand continues to strain infrastructure, highlighting the need for further investment to strengthen and modernize the grid.

The Electricity Network Development and Rehabilitation Project (PRODERCI) has helped improve system performance. The average outage duration has been reduced from 44 hours and 38 minutes in 2015 to 17 hours and 54 minutes in 2021.

The country is also pursuing a broader ambition to position itself as a regional energy hub by 2030.

As part of this strategy, an investment plan worth CFA700 billion (about $1.2 billion) was announced on March 23 to further reinforce the national power network.

Ingrid Haffiny