The Ivorian government is accelerating the structuring of its economy. On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts officially launched a large-scale operation to register economic operators in Abidjan.

A local deployment over three months

The operation, which will begin in May and end in July 2026 , will cover the entire national territory. According to Ibrahim Coulibaly, technical advisor representing the minister, the objective is to directly engage with traders to facilitate their registration and regulatory compliance.

"The success of this initiative depends on collective commitment. We urge professional organizations to be true ambassadors for raising awareness," he said.

Ambitious goals for Universal Technologies (UNiTEC)

The technical management of this project has been entrusted to the company UNiTEC , through a concession agreement with the State. Its managing director, Hamidou Body, has set high performance indicators:

1. Census: More than 1.5 million actors identified in 90 days.
2. Collection: Collect at least one third of the royalties due over the same period.

Private sector support

Farikou Soumahoro, president of FENACCI and mayor of Adjamé, reiterated the full support of the traders' organizations. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with the government for the issuance and distribution of the trader's card , now mandatory for all commercial activity within the territory.

The challenge of a second chance

This new initiative is part of a policy to strengthen the regulation of domestic trade. It aims to correct the shortcomings of the previous system launched in January 2020, which had not achieved the formalization objectives expected by the government.