Côte d’Ivoire has been a partner country of German development cooperation since 1975. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GTZ implements projects in the areas of natural resources, agricultural development, child labour and crisis prevention.

Thanks to its economic strength, development status and its importance for the region, for a long time Côte d’Ivoire was seen as a potential emergent economy with a successful development model. Agricultural and forestry resources and a manufacturing industry based on these resources enabled the country to achieve constant economic growth of over five percent for a number of years. Western-style, liberal economic policies and a stable political environment encouraged this dynamic development.

However, this came at a price. The country's natural resources, particularly its forests, have suffered considerably as a result of extensive cultivation. The uneven distribution of resources has led to marked regional disparities, while the demand for labour is attracting a continuous stream of migrants from the poorer northern regions to the south.

In 2002, Côte d’Ivoire fell into a state of serious political and economic crisis. Following an attempted coup, the country was divided geographically and politically into a rebel-occupied north and a loyalist south. The exact content of the projects mentioned above was adapted to the crisis situation and they continued without the support of seconded experts. GTZ, represented by an office in Abidjan, has developed a successful model for post-conflict technical cooperation in this region.