Since his appointment in November 2023 as Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Agence Côte d’Ivoire Export, Dr Kaladji Fadiga has steered the agency towards a clearer, more strategic role within Côte d’Ivoire’s economic transformation agenda. Tasked with promoting, developing and diversifying Ivorian exports, his leadership reflects a growing recognition across Africa and beyond that global trade integration is central to structural economic progress in the 21st century.
Côte d’Ivoire’s economy is among the fastest-growing in Africa. Between 2021 and 2024, the country maintained annual GDP growth rates exceeding 6 per cent, often outperforming its peers in West Africa, driven in part by robust commodities exports and expanding industrial activity. Against this backdrop, export promotion is not merely an administrative function; it is a linchpin for sustainable economic transformation and poverty reduction. Dr Fadiga’s work aligns strongly with this imperative.
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Under Dr Fadiga’s directorship, Agence Côte d’Ivoire Export has been deeply engaged in positioning the country’s economic potential within major global platforms. His role as Ambassador of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2025 in Algiers has been particularly central to these efforts. IATF is one of Africa’s flagship trade events, designed to connect markets across the continent and expand intra-African trade beyond its current scale, which remains relatively low at around 15 per cent of total African trade, compared to 69 per cent within Europe. Dr Fadiga has used this platform to advocate for new alliances between financial institutions and African small and medium-sized enterprises, stressing that robust trade facilitation must be matched by solid financing mechanisms.
At the World Expo Osaka 2025 in Japan, he coordinated Côte d’Ivoire’s national participation as the General Commissioner of the Ivorian section. Expo Osaka brought together over 200 nations and organisations, drawing nearly 28 million visitors and offering a rare moment for nations to articulate their economic priorities and investment potential. Dr Fadiga oversaw a multi-dimensional programme that showcased not only the country’s agricultural commodities but also its innovation capabilities and cultural resources. His stated objective was to highlight the richness of Ivorian products, from cocoa value chains to agro-industrial advances, and to invite global investors to explore business opportunities anchored in the country’s strategic economic sectors.
These global representations are not ceremonial. For the Osaka Expo alone, Côte d’Ivoire projected ambitions of attracting at least 120 billion CFA francs in new investments over the six-month duration of the exhibition, a target designed to crystallise concrete investor interest into capital flows that could underpin export diversification and production infrastructure.
Dr Fadiga has emphasised strengthening the core competitiveness of Ivorian exporters through technological and institutional reform. Under his leadership, the agency launched a digital platform aimed at centralising essential export information, tools and resources for domestic firms seeking to enter or scale in global markets. This initiative reflects broader global trends in trade facilitation, where digital services streamline compliance with international standards, reduce transaction costs, and align exporting enterprises more closely with supply chain requirements in advanced economies.
In addition, the agency has been active in capacity-building, facilitating exposure-learning missions and training programmes. For example, teams participated in immersion exchanges with Morocco’s investment-promoting institutions and joined programmes such as TCTP 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, underscoring a commitment to benchmarking Côte d’Ivoire’s export promotion practices against global best practice frameworks.
Strategic Partnerships: Bridging Markets and Mobilising Resources
Under Dr Fadiga, Agence Côte d’Ivoire Export has pursued an ambitious portfolio of partnerships with international and regional stakeholders to expand the country’s trade footprint.
One of the most significant collaborations was the strategic agreement with the European Union-Africa Chamber of Commerce (EUACC). Signed in December 2024, this partnership commits both institutions to joint action in expanding market access, financing and influence for Ivorian exporters in European and global markets, a critical step given that Europe remains one of Africa’s largest trading and investment partners.
The agency has also entered into agreements with organisations such as Nouveau Regard Ivoirien (NRI), a youth-led NGO focused on strengthening economic ties between Côte d’Ivoire and Turkey. The collaboration seeks to deepen trade linkages by organising forums, creating channels for business matchmaking, and facilitating participation in international trade shows that can open new export corridors.
Further cooperation agreements, such as with the International Organization of Consultants and Experts for Development (OICED AISBL), reflect Dr Fadiga’s emphasis on institutional alliances that enhance promotional outreach and strengthen Côte d’Ivoire’s integration into global value chains.
Partnerships also extend to domestic stakeholders. The agency aligned with the Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire (CGECI) to deploy innovative digital trade tools such as the African Trade Gateway, which supports approximately 150 Ivorian companies to access new markets, financing mechanisms and logistics solutions, a concrete example of public-private collaboration aimed at operationalising export readiness.
Advocacy and Structural Reform: Making Exports Work for SMEs
Politically and economically, one of the defining messages of Dr Fadiga’s leadership has been the need to simplify export procedures and reduce administrative bottlenecks that constrain small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are increasingly recognised globally as engines of job creation and inclusive growth, but they often lack the capacity to navigate complex export regulatory frameworks.
By advocating for streamlined processes and personalised support services, Dr Fadiga has positioned the agency as an enabler of growth, not merely a promoter of products. This reflects a broader shift in export promotion policy worldwide, from passive marketing to active enterprise development, where institutional support structures help firms meet international quality standards and logistical challenges effectively.
Measuring Outcomes: Beyond Representation to Tangible Results
Dr Fadiga’s tenure thus far demonstrates a focus on expanding the reach and impact of Côte d’Ivoire’s export economy through partnerships, platforms and policy advocacy. While the outcomes of many of these initiatives, such as investment inflows from Expo Osaka or expanded trade volumes from IATF 2025 engagements will crystallise over time, the institutional foundations laid during his leadership are measurable and align with global norms in export development.
Côte d’Ivoire’s exports still face structural barriers common throughout Africa, including limited diversification and reliance on primary commodities. However, the intensity of engagement with international partners, the adoption of digital tools, and the strategic use of high-profile global forums all speak to a proactive approach to repositioning the country in global commerce. These actions place the agency, and Dr Fadiga’s leadership in concert with the World Trade Organization’s trade facilitation principles and the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) objectives of expanding intra-continental trade and building competitive export ecosystems.
Sustaining Momentum and Building Resilience
As global markets become increasingly competitive, nations that prioritise export promotion through coherent strategy, institutional partnerships and enterprise-level support are best poised to capture economic opportunity. Dr Fadiga’s leadership of Agence Côte d’Ivoire Export has emphasised these pillars, situating Côte d’Ivoire’s export agenda within both regional integration frameworks and global trade dynamics.
His role in international events, strategic collaborations, institutional innovations and policy advocacy reflects a comprehensive approach to export-driven economic growth. For policymakers and private sector actors alike, this model illustrates how a coordinated export strategy can meaningfully contribute to broader goals of structural transformation, job creation and sustainable development.
