Poro Region

The Poro Region is located in the north of Côte d'Ivoire and is subdivided into four (04) Departments: Korhogo (Capital), M'Bengué, Sinématiali, and Dikodougou. It covers an area of 13,400 km2.

The population of the region is as follows:

ENTITY	POPULATION				HOUSEHOLDS
	MEN	WOMEN	TOTAL	SEX RATIO	NUMBER	AVERAGE SIZE
Poro Region	524,531	515,929	1,040,461	102	180,173	5.8
Korhogo Department	377,466	370,927	748,393	102	133,984	5.6
KORHOGO (Capital)	225,190	215,736	440,926	104	81,738	5.4

Source: INS, RGPH 2021

 

• Korhogo, its capital, is a Main Economic Connector (a large city at an advanced stage of urbanization facilitating urban economies through a diversified economic base that fosters innovation) with an agricultural vocation: the capital of national cotton production and a center for beef and sheep production (Study on the Competitive Economic Pole Development Program - PEC, 2018). It also produces shea butter, mangoes, sugarcane, and rice;
• One (01) industrial zone exists: located in the Korhogo department with 340 ha, including an industrial land reserve of 224 ha (MCIPPME, 2022);
• Mobile network coverage (ARTCI, July 2023): 95.38% of localities and 96.37% of the population are covered.
• Health: The health infrastructure in the region includes essential technical platforms.

Health infrastructure	Number
Primary Contact Health Facilities (ESPC)	151
General Hospitals	03
Regional Hospital Centers	01
Private Profit-Making Health Facilities	18
Functional Operating Theaters	03
Functional Gynecological-Obstetric Operating Rooms	03
Functional Public Radiology Services	02
Public Dental Clinics	02
Private Dental Clinics	01
Public Pharmacies	12
Private Pharmacies	18

Source: MSHPCMU, 2022

 

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

 

• Agriculture:

Type of crop	Crops	Production (in tons)
		2021	2022	2023
Cash crop	Cotton	204,336	197,200	146,176
	Cashew	81,173	110,941	113,296
Food crops	Plantain banana
	Yam	113,189	116,117	58,876
	Corn	188,587	198,480	118,898
	Rice	489,892	407,335	455,824
	Millet	2,812	2,924	ND
	Potato	14,504	14,924	ND
	Sorghum	10,464	10,940	ND
	Peanut	51,330	53,414	73,422
	Cassava	4,637	5,007	7,220
Vegetable crops	Eggplant	4,652	4,762	48
	Okra	3,190	3,286	39
	Tomato	1,450	1,495	31

Source: MEMINADERPV, 2023

 

• Animal resources:

 

Type of livestock	Species	Livestock (in number of heads)
		2022
Poultry	Broilers	731,391
	Layers	505,759
	Traditional chickens	10,929,150
Ruminants	Cattle	219,189
	Sheep	113,986
	Goats	129,294
Pigs	Traditional pig	57,004
	Modern pig

Source: MIRAH, estimate 2022

 

• Mining resources: a gold mine with a production capacity of 7 to 8 tons per year and another reserve of 90 tons, a manganese mine;
• Agro-industry: three (03) cotton ginning companies, three (03) mango drying units;
• Tourism: weavers of Waraniéré, the fabrics of Fapaha, the basket makers of Torgokaha, the traditional forges of Koni, the bead makers of Kapélé, the sacred hut of Niofoin or the Protective Hut, Mount Korhogo, the Museum of Patriarch Péléforo Gbon, the panther dances or Boloye of Natio, the Wambélé of Sinématiali.

 

As part of the implementation of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 (PND 2021-2025), the Poro Region is included in the area covered by the Agro-pole for the transformation and export of fruits and cashew nuts (Agro-pole 1).

Investment opportunities exist in the following sectors:

• Agriculture: Investments in hydro-agricultural development, irrigation infrastructure, support for production and storage, development of food crop sectors (Maize, Millet, Sorghum, Rice, Onions), cash crop sectors (Cotton, Cashew, Mango, ...), and livestock sectors (Cattle, Sheep).
• Education-Training: creation and operation of schools, colleges, high schools, and universities, technical and vocational schools;
• Agro-industry: establishment of industries for processing agricultural raw materials (cotton, cashew, mango, …);
• Tourism: investment in the construction of hotel complexes and the creation of tourist circuits;
• Mining resources: exploration and exploitation of mining resources (gold, manganese, and tantalum).

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

NB	Project or Action Description	Planning Document	Estimated Cost (FCFA)	Observations
01	Construction of social and economic housing	PND 2021 -2025	Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
02	Construction of a wholesale market and collection and grouping centers	PND 2021 -2025	Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
03	Exploitation of gold mines	PND 2021 -2025	Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
04	Development of an industrial park dedicated to cashew processing in Korhogo (25 ha) and creation of satellite processing units for cashew in other locations	PND 2021 -2025	Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
05	Development of an Industrial Zone (28 ha)	PND 2021 -2025	Not specified	Business opportunity to seize
06	Construction of a factory for manufacturing solar panels and equipment with a capacity of 50 MW per year	Project catalog of the Poro region - Edition 2024	36,728,648,080	Funding to be mobilized
07	Construction of a factory for producing oil from shea butter (1,000 tons per year)	Project catalog of the Poro region - Edition 2024	7,716,877,500	Funding to be mobilized as part of the Agro-Industrial Pole Project in the North (2PAI-NORD)
08	Construction of a factory for producing oil and animal feed from cotton (3,800 tons of oil and 10,700 tons of animal feed per year)	Project catalog of the Poro region - Edition 2024	6,090,640,000	Funding to be mobilized as part of the 2PAI-NORD Project
09	Establishment of a biofuel and fuel production unit from cashew shells with a capacity of 2,460 tons per year	Project catalog of the Poro region - Edition 2024	239,340,000	Funding to be mobilized
10	Construction of a factory for producing animal feed from rice bran, mango peels, and cashew apple peels (340,000 tons of animal feed per year)	Project catalog of the Poro region - Edition 2024	38,919,306,242	Funding to be mobilized as part of the 2PAI-NORD Project

Source: MEPD, 2024 / PS-Gouv2