81271382-Improvement of the Delivery of Services of Public Procurement Agencies in Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire's annual growth rate has been above 8 % in recent years (2014-2018), with a forecasted growth rate of 7 % annually for 2018-2023. Private investment amounts to 13.7 % of gross domestic product (GDP) (2018). This investment ratio however is a few percentage points lower than Ghana or Uganda, and well below the up to 25 % of other emerging emerging economies. According to the World Bank's Doing Business Index, Côte d'Ivoire is one of the most dynamic reformers, especially in the area of business registration. The country has moved up 55 places since 2013 and is currently (2019) ranked 110 out of 190 countries surveyed. Despite general positive developments in recent years, governance deficiencies within the Ivorian government and administration persist, deterring international investors and limiting growth opportunities for national companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Foreign direct investment accounts for only 1.5-2 % of GDP. According to the 2019 Africa edition of the Global Corruption Barometer, 58 % of Ivorians believe their government is doing an inadequate job in fighting corruption. The participation of SMEs in the Ivorian economy is not satisfactory and the informal sector is still too large for the desired transformation to an emerging economy. Entrepreneurs are discouraged by legal uncertainties and unfair competition. External control of the allocation of public funds does not yet meet international standards. Côte d'Ivoire's public administration is therefore still characterised by deficits in terms of integrity, accountability and competitive orientation and especially the delivery of services offered by the administration to maintain fair competition on the market and in public tenders is still too weak. To address these challenges, GIZ is implementing the project ‘Good Governance for increasing Investment and Employment in Côte d'Ivoire’ from 07/2020 to 06/2024, providing technical assistance through technical, process and organisational advice. The project's activities are centred around 4 outputs with the following output objectives: 1) Detection of corruption and economic crime is improved; 2) Capacities of civil society, state and private actors to implement corruption prevention measures are strengthened; 3) The delivery of services of relevant administrative structures promoting fair competition and procurement is improved; 4) The capacities of the Ivorian Court of Auditor's are strengthened. The activities of the project focus on the economic centre of Abidjan but could expand to other regions on a pilot basis.