Public Procurement in Côte d'Ivoire: Where to Find Tenders and How Foreign Companies Can Take Part

In Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), the government and public bodies are major buyers of infrastructure, health, education and digitalisation projects. According to figures from the public procurement directorate, public contracts approved in 2025 were worth more than CFA 1.89 trillion (1 897 milliards FCFA), up from about CFA 1.40 trillion in 2024. To take part in this market, the first step is knowing where to find information and who sets the rules.

The law and the authorities

The current framework is Ordinance No. 2019-679 of 24 July 2019 on the Public Procurement Code (Code des marchés publics), published in the Official Gazette in December of that year, which transposes the procurement directives of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).

Directorate General of Public Procurement (DGMP): the government's public procurement authority, which publishes annual procurement statistics and leads the SYGOMAP digitalisation drive.
Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ANRMP): established under a 2018 decree, it is responsible for regulation, audits and sanctions for violations, and hears procurement complaints.

Where to find tender information

Under the Public Procurement Code, each contracting authority must publish its annual procurement plan three times, at three-month intervals, in the Bulletin officiel des Marchés publics (Official Public Procurement Bulletin) and on the public procurement portal; general procurement notices are published through the same channels.

On 25 July 2023, the government officially launched SYGOMAP, its integrated public procurement management system. According to reports at the launch, suppliers can use the platform to view procurement plans and tender notices, obtain tender documents and submit bids online; officials stressed that digitalisation does not change the procurement rules, but allows suppliers wherever they are to bid.

In addition, many large infrastructure and social projects are financed by multilateral development banks such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank. The US Department of Commerce's Country Commercial Guide recommends becoming familiar with these banks' procurement procedures, and notes that such projects are often implemented by the National Bureau for Technical Studies and Development (BNETD) on behalf of the line ministry.

Key points on the rules of participation

Item	Details
Nationality	The law prohibits discrimination against bidders on grounds of nationality, but companies from the UEMOA region enjoy a community preference
SME set-aside	Each authority must reserve at least 30% of its estimated procurement value for SMEs; in 2025 the share actually awarded to SMEs was 45.3%
Restricted procurement	The share of direct-agreement contracts (gré à gré) fell from 12.7% in 2024 to 11.6% in 2025
Language of documents	Tender documents are generally in French and usually have to be purchased
International agreements	Côte d'Ivoire is not a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement

The US Department of Commerce also points out that the law does not require bidders to have a local presence, but in practice many contracts favour companies with a local representative or partner.

One line for Asian companies

Track procurement plans in your sector on SYGOMAP and in development banks' procurement information first, then find a partner familiar with French-language bids and local procedures — you will stand a better chance than if you wait for the tender notice to appear.

References: CIVLII – Ordonnance n° 2019-679 portant Code des marchés publics; Procurement Inet – Enactment of the new Ivorian Public Procurement Code; AllAfrica – Lancement du système SYGOMAP (2023); AllAfrica – Plus de 1 897 milliards de FCFA de marchés approuvés en 2025 (2026); KOACI – Bilan 2024 de la DGMP (2025); Trade.gov – Côte d'Ivoire Selling to the Public Sector (2026)