Ivory Coast: Ouattara Returns to Abidjan Facing Cocoa Crisis and Power Outages

Alassane Ouattara returned to Ivory Coast on March 28, 2026, and immediately held crisis meetings regarding power outages in Abidjan and the collapse of the cocoa sector. The outages, caused by overexploitation of transport cables, have led to an emergency program of 32 billion CFA francs. Meanwhile, cocoa prices have plummeted by 70% since late 2024, putting Ivorian producers in a difficult position, with 60,000 tons of cocoa blocked in the Gagnoa region.