New PCA Agreement with Ivory Coast Reinforces Commitment to Trade Compliance and Product Integrity

PCA NewslettersSep 10, 2025

We are pleased to announce the official signing of a new product conformity assessment (PCA) contract with the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Ivory Coast. This renewed partnership reinforces our commitment to supporting the country’s dynamic trade landscape – a market comprising approximately 467,000 registered traders, and handling EUR 16 billion in imports and EUR 19 billion in exports annually.

On June 18, 2025, the Ministry Council authorized a new public service concession agreement, appointing us to continue verifying product compliance with applicable standards before shipment to the Ivory Coast. The agreement took effect on July 1, 2025, immediately following the conclusion of the previous contract, which had been in place since September 2017. This new concession will remain valid for five years, until June 30, 2030.

The current list of regulated products will remain unchanged until June 2026, after which additional categories will be gradually integrated into the program beginning in July 2026. As the scope of the program expands, our global network is fully prepared to support, advise and conduct operations wherever needed.

View the current list of regulated products.

This renewed agreement marks not only the continuation of our longstanding commitment but also the beginning of a dynamic new phase of collaboration, whether you are a valued client or a dedicated member of our team.

All requirements are stated in our trade datasheet (guidelines), available on our website.

Our services include:

Pre-shipment physical inspections
Sampling, testing and analysis in accredited or non-accredited laboratories, including manufacturers’ in-house laboratories
Manufacturing process audits
Document verification and conformity assessments against relevant standards

For more information on doing business with the Ivory Coast, explore these resources:

https://guce.gouv.ci/ – single window for trade
https://gudepme.ci/ – single window for small and medium enterprise (SME) development
https://cepici.gouv.ci/ – single window for investment

Point of contact

To find the appropriate SGS representative in your country or region, please refer to the PCA contact list on our website.

For importers, contact our liaison office in Abidjan:

SGS Cote d’Ivoire SA
Km1, Boulevard de Marseille
Po Box: 01 BP 795 Abidjan
Abidjan – Ivory Coast
Tel: + 225 2175 2233/2175 2255/2175 2240

Learn more about Ivory Coast – Verification of Conformity (VOC).

This article can also be found in our PCA Newsletter (Q3/2025) – which keeps you up to date with developments in technical barriers to trade and product conformity assessment.