Côte d’Ivoire is Africa’s leading importer of wine, a fact confirmed by figures from the United States Department of Agriculture: in 2023, Côte d’Ivoire imported the equivalent of a $64m worth of wine – a record on the continent. The country, which produces little wine but consumes a lot, has overtaken Angola and Namibia, which were previously the main importing countries.
An expanding market
Despite the recent slowdown in the Ivorian economy as a result of inflation, wine imports into the country have grown considerably in recent years. And for the US, one of the world’s leading wine producers, it is more important than ever to tap into the promise of this growing market. A strategy report on the subject from the US Department of Agriculture, published on 30 October, is titled: ‘Côte d’Ivoire: It’s time for American wines in Abidjan’.
Ivorians prefer ‘classic’ wine
Wine – in particular sparkling wines, including champagne and its cheaper cousins – is firmly rooted in the drinking habits of Ivorians, and the market is now being boosted by urban youth who have made wine consumption a form of social marker. In order of preference for imported wine, Ivorian consumers prefer ‘classic’ wines (more than 85%) followed by sparkling wines (about 15%).
Per capita consumption of wine in Côte d’Ivoire is four litres a year, compared with one litre a year for beer and 0.2 litres a year for distilled spirits. “With a growing middle class and an improving standard of living, Côte d’Ivoire offers new opportunities as a wine export destination for the United States,” say the American experts. And the figures prove them right. By 2023, wine imports had already risen by 22% in value and 32.6% in volume compared to the previous year. The somewhat high taxes imposed by Ivorian authorities do not seem to be putting the brakes on this upward trend.
Spanish and French wines in the lead
Spain has established its hegemony in the Côte d’Ivoire wine import market by focusing on affordable, entry-level bottles. Spanish wines accounted for 88% of wine imports in 2023, with 67m litres sold (67,000 tonnes).
France, in second place among exporting countries, is a long way behind, with just 7% of the market share, for around 5m litres of wine sold in the country. Can we expect the market to be turned upside down by a massive offensive by American producers?