Ivory Coast Sees 8.9% Growth in 2012, Minister Says in Les Echos

Ivory Coast growth is expected to reach 8.9 percent this year and aims to attain 12 percent to 15 percent growth by 2020, after a 5 percent retraction in 2011, the country’s Finance Minister Charles Koffi Diby said, according to Les Echos in an interview to appear tomorrow.

Ivory Coast is planning to invest 629 billion CFA francs ($1.2 billion) as private investment begins to return, Diby said, according to Les Echos. The country hopes its progress in reforming the coffee and cocoa sectors will earn it International Monetary Fund and World Bank authorization to access new credits by May, Diby said, according to the newspaper.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heather Smith in Paris at hsmith26@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net