In a statement published on March 15, International Monetary Fund said Cote d’Ivoire should record a growth of 8.5% in 2016 against 8.6% in 2015. Macroeconomic outlook, both in 2016 and in the mid-term, is positive. Real growth of GDP is forecast at 8.5% for 2016, with a low inflation level, said an IMF delegation which visited Abidjan from February 29 to March 15.

This forecast is lower than that in January 2016, which put growth at 9.8%.

IMF also told Ivorian authorities to maintain budget discipline and increase banks’ capital so as to get enough headroom and allow the implementation of countercyclical policies in case of external shocks while preserving debt’s viability and stability of banking sector.

The delegation emphasized the importance of active mobilization of budget revenues by streamlining tax exemptions and broadening taxation base, continuing with a cautious debt policy and thorough monitoring of risks associated to public-private partnerships.

Since political crisis has ended in Cote d’Ivoire, the country is restarting its economy. Global leading cocoa producer, the West African nation recorded in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively, 9.8%, 8% and 8.5% economic growth rates.