Côte d’Ivoire: The ports of Abidjan and San Pedro to record significant growth in freight traffic by 2023

The year 2023 has proved to be a period of remarkable growth for Côte d’Ivoire’s ports, with impressive figures confirming an upward trend in freight traffic for both the port of Abidjan and the port of San Pedro.

According to the data, the port of Abidjan has recorded a significant 21% increase in its freight traffic, rising from 28.6 million tonnes in 2022 to 34.8 million tonnes in 2023. This growth is not limited to overall traffic. National traffic, reflecting the strength of the Ivorian economy, has also seen a significant increase of 10%, rising from 25.2 million tonnes in 2022 to 27.7 million tonnes in 2023.

Similarly, the port of San Pedro has performed remarkably well, recording overall goods traffic of 7,023,763 tonnes in 2023, representing an increase of 13% on the previous year. The volume of national traffic at San Pedro will rise from 5,448,576 tonnes in 2022 to 6,539,835 tonnes in 2023.

Previously focused on coffee, cocoa and cement products, which averaged 1.2 million tonnes, the port of San Pedro has recently begun to diversify and balance its export/import/transit traffic flows. Products such as minerals, cotton, fertilisers, rubber and palm oil have now been integrated, boosting the port’s overall traffic. Overall export traffic will rise from 1 million tonnes in 2010 to 4.4 million tonnes in 2023; overall import traffic will increase from around 260,000 tonnes in 2010 to 2.2 million tonnes in 2023; and transit traffic will reach more than 1.07 million tonnes in 2023, compared with ZERO in 2010.

These exceptional performances underline the crucial role played by Côte d’Ivoire’s ports in the country’s economic development, and their ability to adapt to the changing needs of world trade. With such a sustained growth dynamic, the future prospects for the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro look more promising than ever.

By Pascaline Odoubourou