Côte d'Ivoire: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: BCEAO (Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) regional authority; UEMOA/WAEMU monetary union framework; no crypto-specific regulation enacted as of May 2026

Côte d'Ivoire has no dedicated cryptocurrency or digital-asset legislation. As a UEMOA member state, monetary and financial regulation is set regionally by the BCEAO, which held its first international conference on crypto-assets in Dakar in May 2026, signalling that a framework is under active study but not yet enacted. Crypto is neither banned nor licensed; exchanges and users operate in a regulatory grey area, with AML/CFT obligations from the existing UEMOA Banking Commission and CENTIF-CI framework applying by extension.

Framework: Stratégie Nationale de l'Intelligence Artificielle à l'horizon 2030 (SNIA 2030), supervised by the Ministère de la Transition Numérique et de la Digitalisation; data protection underpinned by Loi n° 2013-450 du 19 juin 2013, enforced by ARTCI

Côte d'Ivoire has no binding AI-specific legislation as of May 2026. Its primary AI governance instrument is the SNIA 2030, a non-binding national strategy officially presented to the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, which sets out investment, inclusion, and governance pillars and plans for a future National AI Agency (ANIA). Binding personal-data rules under Law 2013-450 apply incidentally to AI systems processing personal data, but no dedicated AI law has been enacted.

Framework: Law No. 2013-450 of 19 June 2013 on the Protection of Personal Data; supervised by ARTCI (Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications/TIC de Côte d'Ivoire) via its dedicated DPA portal autoritedeprotection.ci

Côte d'Ivoire enacted a comprehensive personal data protection law in 2013 (Law No. 2013-450), modelled on the ECOWAS Supplementary Act on Personal Data framework. ARTCI functions as the independent supervisory authority with regulatory, investigative, and sanctioning powers. The law remains in force as of 2026, with ARTCI issuing updated biometrics guidance in 2024 and operating a National Registry of Data Protection Correspondents with a January 2026 registration deadline.

Framework: Regional WAEMU/UMOA regime administered by the BCEAO (Central Bank of West African States): e-money issuers under BCEAO Instruction No. 008-05-2015, and payment service providers/payment institutions under BCEAO Instruction No. 001-01-2024.

Côte d'Ivoire does not regulate fintech nationally; it applies the harmonized regional framework of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU/UMOA), supervised by the BCEAO. A clear, in-force licensing regime exists: dedicated authorization (agrément) is required to issue electronic money or provide payment services, and the BCEAO has been actively licensing fintechs and operating a regional instant-payment rail (PI-SPI, launched September 2025). Open banking and buy-now-pay-later have no dedicated framework and fall under general banking/credit rules.

Framework: Law No. 2002-03 of 3 January 2002 on identification and stay of foreigners; Law No. 90-437 of 29 May 1990 on entry and residence of foreigners; Code du Travail (Labour Code); visas administered by SNEDAI; biometric resident cards issued by ONECI under the Ministry of Interior

Côte d'Ivoire has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa. Foreign remote workers may enter on a SNEDAI biometric e-visa (up to 90 days) and must then obtain a Titre Provisoire de Séjour and ultimately a five-year renewable Carte de Résident for longer stays. Standard work permits require employer sponsorship, and no formally designated self-employed or freelance remote-work visa category exists, though independent professionals can register locally and seek a resident card.

Framework: Law n° 2013-451 on Cybercrime (as amended 2023), Law n° 2024-352 on Electronic Communications, Ordinance n° 2024-950 on Securing the Digital Space; regulated by ARTCI and ANSSI

Côte d'Ivoire has a layered but partial online safety regime built on a 2013 cybercrime law amended in 2023 to add hate-speech and CSAM penalties, a 2024 electronic communications licensing law, and a 2024 ordinance restructuring cybersecurity authority to a dedicated national agency (ANSSI). There is no comprehensive platform content-moderation or online-safety law comparable to the EU Digital Services Act or UK Online Safety Act, and no statutory age-verification mandate for social media platforms.

Framework: Ordonnance No. 2024-950 of October 30, 2024 on securing the digital space (ratified as law April 24, 2025); Law No. 2013-451 on cybercrime (amended 2023); National Cybersecurity Strategy 2021-2025; administered by ANSSI-CI (Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information) created by Decree No. 2024-958

Côte d'Ivoire has a multi-layered cybersecurity legal framework built on foundational 2013 laws on cybercrime and electronic transactions, substantially upgraded by Ordonnance No. 2024-950, ratified into law in April 2025, which modernizes the digital-space security regime and transfers cybersecurity authority from the telecoms regulator ARTCI to the newly created dedicated agency ANSSI-CI. A National Cybersecurity Strategy 2021-2025 underpins the framework with a critical-infrastructure protection plan and a national security operations centre. Incident reporting is formalised through ANSSI-CI's CI-CERT portal, available to citizens, companies, and public bodies.

Framework: OHADA Uniform Act on Commercial Companies (AUSCGIE); Investment Code as amended by Ordinance No. 2024-857 of 30 September 2024; administered by CEPICI (Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d'Ivoire)

Côte d'Ivoire permits 100% foreign ownership in most sectors and has substantially digitised company formation through CEPICI's single-window platform (225invest.ci), reducing registration to 24-48 hours for a complete dossier. However, foreign investors must obtain a separate investment-approval decision from CEPICI (issued within 19 working days of an admissibility certificate) and comply with sector exclusions and documentation requirements that add procedural layers beyond a simple filing.