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    AI in Côte d'Ivoire: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Côte d'Ivoire know before starting with AI?

    Côte d'Ivoire has no AI law as of 29 October 2026. The rule that applies is Law 2013-450 on personal data, enforced by ARTCI as the data protection authority. It requires a declaration or prior authorization, bans decisions about people based solely on automated profiling, and needs ARTCI authorization before data goes abroad. The national AI strategy, SNIA 2030, plans an AI law and an AI agency, but those are plans, not rules.

    At a glance

    Côte d'Ivoire at a glance

    Key facts about Côte d'Ivoire
    Data protection lawLaw 2013-450 of 19 June 2013, in force
    RegulatorARTCI (Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications/TIC de Côte d'Ivoire), acting as the data protection authority
    AI policyNational AI Strategy SNIA 2030 (handed to the Prime Minister 13 March 2025). No dedicated AI law as of 29 October 2026
    Time zoneGMT, UTC+0 (India is 5.5 hours ahead)
    CurrencyXOF (West African CFA franc)
    Business languageFrench

    Why now

    Why Côte d'Ivoire is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • The national AI and data governance strategy was handed to the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, for five years of implementation, on three pillars: investment, inclusion and governance.[3]

    • SNIA 2030 plans a national AI agency, a SafeAI certification label, algorithm audits in critical sectors and a right for citizens to contest decisions taken by algorithms.[4]

    • The strategy plans to train 5,000 young people in AI skills over five years and to build a network of national data centres.[4]

    • The second national AI conference, Impact IA 2026, closed on 11 September 2026 with 77 priority use cases across public administration, agriculture, health and education.[5]

    • At that conference the government said it plans language models adapted to Ivorian administrative, economic and cultural contexts, and asked for a costed roadmap within three weeks.[5]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Law 2013-450 of 19 June 2013 on the protection of personal data

    In force2013Processing needs a prior declaration to the authority (article 5). Prior authorization is needed for genetic, medical and research data, national ID numbers including phone numbers, biometric data and transfers to another country (article 7). The authority answers within one month, and silence counts as a rejection (article 11). Naming a data protection correspondent exempts most processing from declaration, but not transfers abroad (article 6). Consent must be express and prior, with listed exceptions (article 14).[1]

    Law 2013-450: profiling, transfers and sanctions

    In force2013No administrative or private decision assessing human behaviour may rest solely on automated processing that profiles the person (article 25). Transfers abroad need prior ARTCI authorization and a country with equal or higher protection (article 26). ARTCI can fine up to 10 million CFA francs; a repeat within five years can reach 100 million, or 5% of turnover for a business, capped at 500 million (article 51).[1]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Agriculture

    Crop and price forecasting, and advice to farmers by phone.

    Agriculture is among the sectors of the 77 priority use cases. Using farmers' phone numbers counts as a national identifier under article 7 and needs prior authorization.[5]

    Health care

    Summaries of patient records and triage support, with clinicians making decisions.

    Medical data needs prior ARTCI authorization (article 7), and health data falls in the specially protected categories of article 21.[1]

    Banking and mobile money

    Fraud checks and French-language customer service assistants.

    A credit or account decision based solely on automated profiling is barred by article 25. Keep a person in the decision.[1]

    Public administration

    Automating administrative paperwork and helping people with procedures.

    SNIA 2030 lists automating administrative processes and regular audits of public algorithms.[4]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Declare each AI use that processes personal data to ARTCI, or name a data protection correspondent and notify ARTCI of the appointment (articles 5, 6 and 12).
    2. Check whether the project uses medical, biometric or national ID data, including phone numbers. If so, get prior authorization (article 7).
    3. Get ARTCI authorization before sending personal data to an AI service abroad, and plan for the one-month review (articles 11 and 26).
    4. Make sure no decision about a person rests only on automated profiling. Add human review (article 25).
    5. Collect express, prior consent unless an exception in article 14 applies.
    6. Test models on French documents from your own business before using them with customers.
    7. Follow SNIA 2030 work on an AI law and an AI agency, which could add new duties.

    AI services for Côte d'Ivoire

    AI consulting and development for teams in Côte d'Ivoire

    We work remotely with companies in Côte d'Ivoire, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

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    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
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    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Côte d'Ivoire is on UTC+0 and India on UTC+5:30, a 5.5 hour gap. Taking a 09:00 to 17:00 day in Abidjan and 09:30 to 18:30 in India, the overlap is 4 hours, from 09:00 to 13:00 Abidjan time.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Côte d'Ivoire

    Does Côte d'Ivoire have an AI law?

    No, not as of 29 October 2026. SNIA 2030 lists a dedicated AI law and an AI agency as goals. Today, Law 2013-450 on personal data is the main rule that applies to AI.

    Who enforces data protection?

    ARTCI, the telecoms and ICT regulator, acts as the data protection authority under article 46 of Law 2013-450. It receives declarations, grants authorizations and can impose fines.

    Can I use a foreign AI service with customer data?

    Only with ARTCI's prior authorization and to a country with equal or higher protection (article 26). ARTCI must answer within one month, and no answer counts as a refusal.

    What are the fines?

    Up to 10 million CFA francs. A repeat breach within five years can reach 100 million CFA francs, or 5% of turnover for a business, capped at 500 million.

    Complimentary tools

    Try these first

    Three complimentary tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

    Answer a few questions and see where your team stands, in about five minutes.
    Open the tool

    AI use case triage

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    AI project cost estimator

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    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] Journal officiel de la République de Côte d'Ivoire (copy hosted by ARTCI), 2013-06-19. Loi n° 2013-450 du 19 juin 2013 relative à la protection des données à…(artci.ci)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Loi n° 2013-450 du 19 juin 2013 relative à la protection des données à caractère personnel. Primary law text in French, a scan of the Official Journal of 8 August 2013, read in full. Used for articles 5 to 7, 11, 12, 14, 21, 25, 26, 46 and 51. The reading is ours.

    2. [2] ARTCI, 2026-10-29. Protection des données(artci.ci)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Protection des données. Primary, accessed on this date. Used to confirm ARTCI's data protection role and that transfers outside Côte d'Ivoire face restrictions. It had no AI-specific guidance.

    3. [3] We Are Tech Africa, 2025-03-14. La Côte d'Ivoire dévoile sa stratégie de l'IA et de la gouvernance des…(wearetech.africa)
      Full title and what we used it for

      La Côte d'Ivoire dévoile sa stratégie de l'IA et de la gouvernance des données. Press report. Used for the 13 March 2025 handover to the Prime Minister, the five-year period and the three pillars. The article says government adoption was still to come; we found no record of formal adoption, so status is unclear as of 29 October 2026.

    4. [4] Ministère de la Transition Numérique et de la Digitalisation (via OECD.AI), undated. Stratégie Nationale de l'Intelligence Artificielle, SNIA 2030(api.oecd.ai)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Stratégie Nationale de l'Intelligence Artificielle, SNIA 2030. Primary strategy document, read via the OECD.AI-hosted copy. Its copyright line says 2024; no day or month is given, so no date is listed here. Used for the AI agency, SafeAI label, algorithm audits, right to contest, 5,000 trainees and data centres.

    5. [5] Fraternité Matin (via allAfrica), 2026-09-12. Impact IA 2026 : la Côte d'Ivoire passe de la réflexion à l'action avec…(fr.allafrica.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Impact IA 2026 : la Côte d'Ivoire passe de la réflexion à l'action avec 77 cas d'usage prioritaires. Press report. Used for the conference dates, the 77 priority use cases and sectors, the plan for adapted language models and the three-week roadmap request.

    6. [6] ARTCI, 2026-10-29. Textes juridiques : lois(artci.ci)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Textes juridiques : lois. Primary, accessed on this date. Used to confirm that ARTCI lists Law 2013-450 among the laws it applies. We did not find a newer data protection law.

    This is general information, not legal advice. The AI strategy's adoption status and the planned AI law are unclear, and rules may change. Check your plans with a qualified Ivorian lawyer. Facts were checked on 29 October 2026.

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