Côte d’Ivoire: Cocody Bay opened thanks to Morocco’s expertise

In Côte d’Ivoire, the Cocody Bay will soon become one of the best attractions of the capital city Abidjan tanks to Moroccan company Marchica Med, headed by Saïd Zarrou.

In 2016, King Mohammed VI and President Alassane Ouattara announced plans to transform the Cocody Bay to provide innovative mechanisms in urban planning, and also to create a new dynamic of global development.

Three years after the announcement, the ambitious project has opened its beaches to the public.

The Bay’s development and upgrading includes the building of the “Rive Plateau”, the “Cocody Urban Park” and the “Coulée Verte” of Banco.

The “Rive Plateau” is comprised of hotels, a trade center, a convention center, and facilities to promote the Ivorian culture. It will also include facilities for recreational, leisure and catering activities near the Abidjan Marina.

The Cocody Urban Park harbors a zone for aquatic activities and a site for adventures and discovery.

The Coulée verte of Banco project consists of cleaning, reforestation and urban development of a 3,000 ha corridor between the Banco forest and the Cocody Bay. It will also help create community-based infrastructure for populations living in neighborhoods and thematic housing projects.

The rehabilitation project offers a sustainable and ecological resolution to the issue of pollution of the bay and its watershed.

The Cocody Bay is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Comoé river, which runs through the Grand-Bassam seaside resort, some 30 km south of Abidjan.

The city of Abidjan, now listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, was initially the political capital of Côte d’Ivoire, after the end of French colonialism, before being supplanted in this role by Yamoussoukro, a decision made by the first Ivorian head of state, Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

The inauguration of the Bay was attended by several Ivorian senior officials, including Vice-President Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Minister of Environment and Development Joseph Seka Séka, local kings and traditional chiefs of Côte d’Ivoire.

The Kingdom of Morocco was represented by the Moroccan ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Abdelmaleek Kettani, as well as by Saïd Zarrou, General Manager of Marchica Med.

All speakers emphasized the excellent cooperation between the two countries. Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan recalled that Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire are bound by no less than 100 agreements.

The Cocody Bay project costs overall around $450 million.