# Ivory Coast and Its Neighbours in West Africa

> Ivory Coast leads West African cocoa trade with Ghana but faces Sahel refugee crisis.
- Title: Ivory Coast and Its Neighbours in West Africa · The Rio Times
- Summary: Ivory Coast leads West African cocoa trade with Ghana but faces Sahel refugee crisis. Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 60% of global cocoa and signed a price…
- Keywords: ivory coast, ghana, cocoa, sahel, refugees, ecowas, bceao, burkina faso, mali, gulf of guinea, news, world
- Source: The Rio Times — https://riotimesonline.com/ivory-coast-in-west-africa-explained-2026
- Author: Contributing Reporter
- Published: 2026-10-19T09:13:10+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ivory coast, ghana, cocoa, sahel, refugees, ecowas, bceao, burkina faso, mali, gulf of guinea, news, world
## Ivory Coast Overview
Ivory Coast has 32.7 million people and an economy of US$99.8 billion in 2025.
## Neighbours and Borders
Ivory Coast shares land borders with Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana.
## Economic Rankings
Ghana has the largest economy among Ivory Coast's neighbours at US$114.2 billion.
## Cocoa Partnership
Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 60% of the world's cocoa and signed a joint declaration in June 2026.
## Sahel Refugee Crisis
71,469 registered refugees from Burkina Faso live in Ivory Coast as of May 31, 2026.
## Mali's Trade Route
Malian cargo through Abidjan rose 76.4% to 1.47 million tonnes in 2025.
## ECOWAS Membership
Ivory Coast is a member of ECOWAS with 12 states since Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left on January 29, 2025.
## Cocoa Price Agreement
Ivory Coast and Ghana signed a joint cocoa declaration to harmonize producer prices in June 2026.
## Refugee Movement
UNHCR counted 75,853 registered refugees in Ivory Coast on May 31, 2026 with 94.2% from Burkina Faso.
## Sahel Security
JNIM has blocked roads into Bamako since September 2025, disrupting Malian cargo routes.
## Regional Power Grid
The CLSG power line connects Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea for regional electricity.
## Cocoa Price Mechanism
The Living Income Differential price premium aims to raise cocoa farmer incomes in both countries.
## ECOWAS Leadership
Senegal chairs ECOWAS in October 2026 while Ivory Coast follows regional diplomatic trends.
## Refugee Impact
Ivory Coast hosts 93,200 refugees and asylum seekers as of June 2026, mostly from Burkina Faso.
## Trade Corridor
The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway would connect five countries through 25 cities by 2027.
## What's Next
ECOWAS and AES will meet in Dakar on October 17, 2026 to discuss regional trade and security.
## Key takeaway

Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 60% of global cocoa and signed a price agreement in June 2026, while hosting 71,469 Burkina Faso refugees.