Privatization of the Power Sector in Côte D’ivoire

Abstract

From the country’s independence in 1960 up until the early 1980s, the power sector of Côte d’Ivoire experienced rapid changes. During this 20-year period, the annual electricity demand growth rate was over 10 per cent on average. The financial health of the state-owned electricity company, Energie Electrique de Côte d’Ivoire (EECI), was very good. That financial status enabled EECI to engage in an ambitious programme of rural electrification, which was costly, but very highly appreciated. Today, it is estimated that about 60 per cent of Côte d’lvoire’s 14 million inhabitants have access to electricity, with about 1400 cities and villages electrified.