weighted score 5.9 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Côte d’Ivoire
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Côte d’Ivoire-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
7
TVPRA-listed for cocoa (CL+FL). Approximately 1.5 million children in cocoa farming. Forced labour indicators among migrant workers. Trafficking documented.
Worker rights & FOA
6
Freedom of association legally permitted but practically limited in agricultural sector. Informal labour dominates. Union coverage minimal in cocoa supply chains.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Hazardous child labour in cocoa (pesticide exposure, machete use). Audit access to remote smallholder farms is logistically challenging. Audit credibility varies.
Food & product safety
5
Cocoa quality systems exist but aflatoxin and pesticide residue monitoring is inconsistent. EU RASFF alerts for Ivorian-origin products occur periodically.
Environmental & regulatory
8
Most EUDR-exposed country globally. ~40% of world cocoa. Over 80% forest cover loss since 1960. Cocoa-driven deforestation is the defining environmental risk.
Governance & anti-corruption
7
TI CPI 2024: 36/100. Governance weaknesses affect credibility of national monitoring and certification systems. Land tenure opacity.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EU-West Africa EPA provides duty-free, quota-free access. AGOA eligibility for US. Strong preferential trade position.
Non-tariff barriers
5
EUDR due diligence requirements are the dominant non-tariff barrier. Geolocation and deforestation-free proof required for all cocoa exports to EU from 2025/2026.
Supply chain traceability
7
800,000–1,000,000 smallholder farms. Full GPS polygon traceability incomplete. Multi-tier opacity. Certification covers minority of production.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Child labour in cocoa
- Côte d’Ivoire is listed on the US Department of Labor TVPRA list for cocoa produced with child labour (CL) and forced labour (FL). Approximately 1.5 million children are estimated to work in cocoa farming, many in hazardous conditions including pesticide application and heavy load carrying.
- Forced labour indicators
- Forced labour indicators are present in the cocoa sector, including debt bondage among migrant workers from Burkina Faso and Mali. Trafficking of children for cocoa farm labour has been extensively documented by ILO and NGO investigations.
- Smallholder complexity
- The cocoa supply chain relies on millions of smallholder farmers, making traceability and audit coverage exceptionally difficult. Cooperative structures exist but coverage is partial. Direct supplier relationships rarely extend below Tier 1 traders and processors.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- EUDR exposure
- Côte d’Ivoire is the most EUDR-exposed country globally. As the world’s largest cocoa producer (~40% of global supply), virtually all cocoa exports to the EU will require EUDR due diligence statements with geolocation data demonstrating deforestation-free production.
- Deforestation track record
- Cocoa-driven deforestation has been severe. Côte d’Ivoire has lost over 80% of its forest cover since 1960, with cocoa expansion as the primary driver. The Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) was launched in 2017 but progress has been uneven.
- Tariff access
- EU-West Africa EPA provides duty-free, quota-free access (Tariff score 2). This preferential access is a significant commercial advantage but does not reduce regulatory compliance obligations under EUDR, CSDDD, or the EU Forced Labour Regulation.
- Governance
- Transparency International CPI 2024: 36/100. Governance weaknesses affect the credibility of national monitoring systems and complicate EU importers’ due diligence obligations.
Supply Chain Traceability
Supply Chain Traceability
- Traceability challenges
- Cocoa supply chains in Côte d’Ivoire involve an estimated 800,000–1,000,000 smallholder farms. Full farm-level traceability with GPS polygon mapping — as required by EUDR — is a massive undertaking. Major traders (Cargill, Barry Callebaut, Olam) have invested in traceability systems but coverage remains incomplete.
- Certification coverage
- Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and UTZ certifications cover a meaningful but minority share of total production. Certification does not automatically satisfy EUDR requirements. Buyers should not conflate certification with regulatory compliance.