Fode Yattabare, CEO of Kaera, poses for a picture at the company's cosmetics manufacturing factory in the Yopougon industrial zone on the outskirts of Abidjan on July 7, 2026. From natural cosmetics to oil and gas distribution, Ivory Coast is betting on champion firms that emerged from 15 years of economic growth to carry its development plan forward to 2030. Following the 20022011 politico-military crisis that severely weakened its economy, Ivory Coast has regained stability, with growth regularly above 6 percent, making it among the drivers of West Africa. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP via Getty Images)