Relations between Germany and Côte d’Ivoire have traditionally been friendly.

Germany is held in high regard in Côte d’Ivoire and is assisting the country with its development and reform policy. The two countries entered into a climate and development partnership in November 2023. Since 2017, Côte d’Ivoire has been a partner country of the G20 Compact with Africa initiative. President Ouattara attended the initiative summit in Berlin in late 2023. Minister of State Serap Güler visited Côte d’Ivoire in June 2026.

Côte d’Ivoire is interested in intensifying bilateral economic relations. With approximately 32 million inhabitants, it is one of the largest economies in West Africa, the leading economic power in francophone Africa and one of the continent’s fastest-growing countries. Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s most important cocoa supplier and therefore also plays a major role for Germany’s chocolate industry.

Germany is represented in many ways in Côte d’Ivoire, for example in the area of development cooperation through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the German Investment and Development Company (DEG). With a view to promoting economic relations, Germany has opened a Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Abidjan. Political foundations with offices in Abidjan include the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

Development cooperation focuses on forest conservation, biodiversity protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy within the context of the new climate and development partnership. Other priorities include vocational training and business promotion, as well as the strengthening of good governance. The German Government has also been increasingly engaged in the field of security over the last few years, with activities ranging from strengthening civil resilience to combating terrorism.

In the field of culture and education, the Goethe-Institut not only offers language courses but also plays an active role in shaping cultural life through its wide-ranging programme. There are around 470,000 people learning German in Côte d’Ivoire. A German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) lector based at the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan and, from 2026, another lector at the Université Alassane Ouattara in Bouaké, coordinate university exchanges and scholarship programmes. The universities in Abidjan and Bouaké have large German departments with around 1900 students.