The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the National Council for the Fight Against the High Cost of Living (CNLVC), conducted surprise field visits on Friday, February 14, 2025, to several commercial establishments in Abidjan. The goal was to ensure, ahead of Ramadan and Lent, that essential consumer goods, subject to price caps, were available.
The visits took place in major stores such as Cosmos and Socofrais in the Yopougon commune, the wholesaler Sylla and Brothers (ESF) in Attécoubé, and two local shops in Cocody. In all of these locations, controlled products such as sugar, vegetable oil, milk, tomato paste, rice, and pasta were available in sufficient quantities, with the capped prices being adhered to. At Cosmos and Socofrais, prices even came in below the capped prices for products like oil, rice, sugar, and tomato paste.
“We observed that the visited stores had good stock levels of essential products, and the capped prices are being respected. We are satisfied with this,” said Robert Konan, Deputy Director of Consumption at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, following the visit.
Ranie-Didice Bah-Koné, Executive Secretary of the CNLVC, reminded that the government had capped the prices of essential products to protect the purchasing power of consumers. She also commended not only the large stores but also the clear price displays in the local shops that were visited.
Mamadou Diarra, the commercial director of ESF, a leading company in rice and sugar distribution in Ivory Coast, reassured the public about the availability of products during this period of fasting for both Muslim and Catholic Christians. “Prices will remain affordable,” he added.
To note, bulk white sugar is capped at 815 FCFA per kilogram, bulk brown sugar at 765 FCFA per kilogram, and granulated sugar at 1,000 FCFA. Vegetable oil is priced at 700 FCFA for a 0.5-liter bottle, 1,200 FCFA for a 0.9-liter bottle, and 1,775 FCFA for a 1.5-liter bottle. A 400-gram can of tomato paste is capped at 425 FCFA, and a 200-gram packet of pasta at 225 FCFA.
As part of the fight against high living costs, consumers are encouraged to report any form of abuse to the Ministry via the toll-free number 1343 or the "Contrôle citoyen" app.