Bafing Region

The Bafing Region is located in the Northwest of Côte d'Ivoire and is subdivided into three (03) Departments: Touba (Capital), Ouaninou, and Koro. It covers an area of 8,650 km², which is 2.68% of the national territory.

• The population of the region is as follows:

 

ENTITY	POPULATION				HOUSEHOLDS
	MALES	FEMALES	TOTAL	SEX RATIO	NUMBER	AVERAGE SIZE
Bafing Region	136,919	125,932	262,850	109	46,218	5.7
Touba Department	62,918	57,606	120,524	109	22,236	5.4
TOUBA (Capital)	28,804	26,209	55,013	110	10,451	5.2

Source: INS, RGPH 2021

 

• Touba, the capital of the region, is a Local Economic Connector (a small town that is at an embryonic stage of urbanization facilitating internal economies of scale, such as hosting a large company that processes local agricultural products) whose economy is primarily based on agriculture, trade, livestock, tourism, and transport (Study on the Competitive Economic Pole Development Program - PEC, 2018);
• Financial sector: 01 microfinance institution is established there;
• One (01) industrial land reserve has been established with an area of 50 ha (MCIPPME, 2022);
• Mobile network coverage (July 2023): 83.12% of localities and 86.53% of the population are covered;
• Health: The health infrastructure in the region covers most of the technical platforms.

 

 

Health infrastructures	Number
Primary Contact Health Facilities (ESPC)	45
General Hospitals	02
Regional Hospital Centers	01
Private Profit-Making Health Facilities	01
Functional Operating Rooms	01
Functional Public Radiology Services	01
Functional Private Radiology Services	01
Dental Offices	01
Public Pharmacies	05
Private Pharmacies	03

Source: MSHPCMU, 2022

 

The key sectors of activity include agriculture and agro-industry, animal resources, and tourism.

 

Agriculture:

Type of crop	Crops	Production (in tons)
		2021	2022	2023
Cash crops	Rubber	661	793	800
	Oil Palm	523	471	534
	Cocoa	19,991	13,073	11,804
	Cotton	1,408	1,358	11,804
	Cashew	13,245	18,784	19,183
	Coffee	183	164	155
Food crops	Plantain Banana	13,311	13,827	8,480
	Yam	27,574	28,287	40,344
	Corn	2,272	2,391	4,325
	Rice	7,574	16,262	18,198
	Peanut	6,151	6,401	1,869
	Cassava	68,174	73,602	56,882
	Taro	234	241	ND
	Potato	2,114	2,176	ND
Vegetable crops	Eggplant	4,397	4,502	280
	Okra	25,755	26,537	384
	Tomato	6,051	6,237	148

Source: MEMINADERPV, 2023 ND: Not Available

 

• Animal resources

Type of livestock	Species	Livestock (in number of heads)
		2022
Poultry	Broilers	33,417
	Layers	54,026
	Traditional Chickens	30,328
Ruminants	Cattle	18,947
	Sheep	20,972
	Goats	3,401
Pigs	Traditional Pig	7,725
	Modern Pig

Source: MIRAH, estimate 2022

 

• Tourism: The tourism offerings in the region include:
  • The two-century-old mosque of Ganhoué (Sub-Prefecture of Ouaninou);
  • The inscriptions on the stones of Silasso Ganhoué;
  • The three (03) caves of Toutié;
  • Mount Zaala;
  • Mount Djéguénin of Bambadougou;
  • The Silures and masks of Silakoro S/P of Touba;
  • The Mimbala waterfall.

 

As part of the implementation of the National Development Plan (PND) 2021-2025, the Bafing Region is included in the area covered by the Agro-pole "Pole for the Transformation of Food Crops" (Agro-pole 8).

Investment opportunities exist in the following sectors:

• Agriculture and Agro-industry: Investments in the development of food crop sectors (Rice, Soybean), cash crop sectors (Cotton, Cashew), and the processing of these agricultural products.
• Mining Resources: The region has a rich mining potential with deposits of Cobalt, Nickel, Gold, Chrome, and Rare Earths, for which exploration permits have been granted in the Koro department.
• Tourism: Creation of tourist circuits and construction of hotel complexes;
• Trade: Opportunity to develop international trade through the double borders with Guinea and Mali.
• Environment: Investments in scientific research to address the severe climate issues in the area.

Some priority projects and actions have been identified for the benefit of the Bafing Region, including:

 

NB	Project or Action Description	Planning Document	Estimated Cost (FCFA)	Observations
01	Creation of a satellite processing unit for cashew nuts as part of the development of the industrial park dedicated to cashew processing in Séguéla (15 ha)	PND 2021 -2025	Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
02	Exploitation of lateritic nickel mines		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
03	Electrification of remaining localities: 178 localities to be electrified in the Autonomous District of Woroba, which includes the Bafing Region		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
04	Construction and upgrading of roads: heavy reshaping (426.4 km), light reshaping (3,306.4 km), and structures (17)		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
05	Construction of social and economic housing		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
06	Implementation of the land development program for the production of housing and serviced land accessible to all		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
07	Implementation of the Competitive Pole program of Touba (Local Economic Connector)		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
08	Development of an Industrial Zone		Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
09	Construction and rehabilitation of basic socio-economic infrastructure	Strategic Development Plan (SDP)	Not defined	Project idea
10	Project to support agropastoral productivity		Not defined	Project idea
11	Project to support agropastoral productivity		Not defined	Project idea
12	Tourism promotion project		Not defined	Project idea