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Upgrading of Low Income Settlements 

Côte d’Ivoire has been implementing activities and projects to upgrade informal settlements in the Abidjan area and other major cities since the end of the 1970s. However, the level of achievement has not matched the proposed objectives. Different institutional arrangements were set up for the implementation of activities and projects, either centralized through oversight by the National Office for Technical Studies and Projects (BENETD), formerly the Public Works Administration (DCGTx), and the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development (MCU); or decentralized, with oversight by the municipalities. 

Some projects used social intermediation teams to support the implementation of projects and to assure the participation of inhabitants. These activities were carried out through international technical assistance teams, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and/or national consulting firms. 

All of the upgrading activities were carried out with community participation supported by neighborhood organizations, such as the Upgrading Support Committee (CAR) and the Work Group for Neighborhood Upgrading (GTAQ). Yet, the involvement of the population was more focused on financial aspects than on true participation in decisionmaking regarding project options. The involvement of local authorities varied and depended on the particular municipality involved in the upgrading activities. In addition, municipal responsibilities were not clearly defined by the regulations. 

According to the new upgrading approach presented by the Department of Upgrading in the MCU in 1992, the ministry responsible for the distribution of urban plots belonging to the State had to play a central role in the upgrading of informal settlements. The methodology applied by MCU is based on land legalization and regularization, and the costs are shared by the population, the municipalities, and the State. The evaluation undertaken in the middle of the 1990s noted that the objectives of upgrading work were only related to land legalization and regularization (lotissement - the term "lotissement" means the division of land into the plots) of land. As a result, the new legalized neighborhoods found themselves under-equipped. However, the mechanisms of upgrading applied in Côte d'Ivoire did make urban land available. This is the main difference between upgrading in Côte d'Ivoire and in other countries such as Mali or Burkina Faso where upgrading activities are stalled by the process of land legalization and the distribution of plots.

During the same period, other neighborhood upgrading projects funded by donor agencies were being implemented; these focused on supporting local initiatives (municipal and community), on social and economic development, and on decentralization through investments in infrastructure, urban facilities, and services.

The activities were not coordinated and the objectives of upgrading were not clearly defined as the projects grappled with several different priorities—trying to choose between land legalization, upgrading infrastructure, or the improvement of living conditions (MCU. Formulation et Conduite d’une Politique de Restructuration de l’Habitat Spontané. 1994). Ultimately, priority was given to primary infrastructure (roads, water, and electricity) and land legalization. The Under-Equipped Neighborhood Support Program (PASQUE) project funded by the World Bank (WB) and the Man project funded by the French Cooperation were finalized in 2001. Currently there are no ongoing important upgrading projects in Côte d'Ivoire other than the project implemented by the MCU. The recent economic problems have certainly had a negative impact on the living conditions in urban areas and have limited the potential of upgrading activities by the MCU.

Full report: Upgrading of Low Income Settlements Country Assessment Report: Côte d'Ivoire

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