Country Profile

In order to understand the implications of the HIV/AIDS campaigns within the country, we need to look at the country statistics.

Brief Statistics:

Capital: Yamoussoukro

Population: 17,327,724

Official Language: French

Largest City: Abidjan

HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rate: 7% (2004 est.)

People Living with HIV/AIDS: 570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths: 47,000 (2001 est.)

Political structure:

The Cote d'Ivoire basic political structure has been Republican since it declared independence from France in 1960. The president holds the majority of power since he is the head of the state and in charge of the armed forces. This position is currently held by Laurent Gbagbo who took the office when a revolt began after the 2000 election, forcing the newly elected president, Guéï, to flee. The presidential office is elected every five years; 2005 is the next set election year. The president is given the power to appoint the prime minister, who is in charge of the government and engaging economic policy, as well as the cabinet of Ministers. The governing body is known as the National Assembly, consisting of 225 seats. Members are elected through district elections and serve five year terms. There are three major political parties: PDCI (Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire), FPI (Ivoirian Popular Front), and RDR (Rally of the Republicans). Until 1990 the National Assemby was only made up of PDCI, although they continue to control 149 of 175 seats. The country's judicial system is based on French civil law, implementing the use of the Supreme Court, which has the power to try government officials.

Côte d'Ivoire was considered one of the most prosperous countries in West Africa until the nation's first coup in 1999, when disatisified generals rebelled forcing President Bédié to flee to France. Another coup occurred in 2002 when northern troops gained control of a large portion of the country and the former President Guéi was killed in action.. which was not resolved until 2003 when the government and New Forces militaries signed an "End of War" declaration. Unfortunately neither side was satisfied and nothing was resolved. Currently with the 2005 presidential elections coming, President Gbagbo is being asked to use his office power to allow a candidate from each political party in the election.

The implications this has on public relations are huge. With all of the political unrest, the news is one of the most important things to listen to within the country. As a result this could mean that nonpolitical news could be seen as more important than other news like HIV/AIDS prevention. Also, with the election year coming up this could have major implications on public relations and organizations who are vying for media attention.

Economic:

Ivoirian economy relies heavily on agriculture and is largely market based. Seventy percent of the people are part of the agricultural process. It is among the world's largest producers of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil, making the economy sensitive to weather conditions and international prices on the aforementioned products. The economy also relies on foreign direct investment, in large part from France, and accounts for 40-45% of total capital of Ivoirian firms. The country has increased public investment program which gives priority to investment in human capital and spending on economic infrastructure. Due to political uncertainty the future economic outlook is uncertain and unstable. Due to the high dependence on agriculture, the economic structure of the country is reliant on the weather and on the labor force of the Ivoirian people.

The implications this has on public relations depends on the ability of the media to reach those people who are in the agricultural business and may not have the means to access news. If this is a target audience it is important to understand how these people are reliant on the weather and their schedules are.

Mass Media:

Côte d'Ivoire is well developed by the mass media in comparison to other African standards. The country has a good telecommunications service, which includes a public data communications network, cell phones, and internet access. There were fourteen television broadcast stations as of 1999 and over 1.236 million people with cellular devices in 2003. The country is slow to use the internet, with only about 90,000 users. There are seventeen newspapers. With the rise of independent newspapers, trade unions, and opposition parties, political power has been lessened.

The implications this has on public relations depends on the number of users of each form of mass media. This is very important in figuring out how to reach the target audience and what media outlet is the best to use.

Infrastrucutre:

Côte d'Ivoire has an extensive infrastrucutre in comparison to other developing countries. Abidjan is one of the most modern cities in West Africa. There is over 8,000 miles of paved road; rail lines into Burkina Faso are being upgraded; and, there is regular air service within the country as well as into Europe. The level of communication is fairly reliable, although not as much in the rural areas. The future infrastrucutre plans are to increase public investment. As the government continues to disengage itself from productive activities, because of the recent privitization, financing in petroleum, electricity, water, and telecommunications sectors will be done without any government involvement.

Until there is political and economic stability, it will be difficult for the country to realize its full potential. This is incredibly important to public relations in whether media outlets are governement and private owned. This will affect the type of information being delivered to the public and the possible spin the material may have.

Legal Structure:

Côte d'Ivoire is based on the French civil law system and customary law. The country has a written constitution that was ratified on August 4, 2000. Unfortunately due to the political unrest, the legislative and judicial branches of the government are weak. In this country it is less about the law and more about personal contact and connections.

This has some important implications on public relations. Any governmental laws written in regards to freek knowledge is important. It is also important on who everybody knows throughout the country and who can help the other person.

Social Structure:

Currently the Ivoirian population is divided into Christians who make up 25-35% and Muslims, who make up 35-40%. The total population literacy rate is estimated to 51%. Currently school is not compulsory and attendance is at about 57%.

There are more than 60 different ethnic groups, although these can be grouped into five main divisions: the east and center portion of the country is Akan, the Krou in the southwest, the Southern Mande in the western potion, the Northern Mande located in northwest, and the Senoufo/Lobi in the north center and northeast. The largest group is the Baoules, part of the Akan, who are based around Bouake and Yamoussoukro. There are tensions between the The population divides itself based upon ethnicity rather than race. Most inhabitants live along the coastal region with the exception of the capital area.

The country is full of tensions that divide among ethnic groups, religion, and political parties. Many Christians have identified with President Gbagbo while many of the Muslims support the rebel leaders. Tensions between ethnic groups that live in the same village, are prone to fighting. A key example of this was a recent outbreak in Boli, a town that is on the rail line between Burkina Faso and Abidjan. Insults between two children, one Baule and the other Dioula, became a fight between neighbors. In the past, the army was overrepresented by the Senufo while the southern people were the majority of the police and National Gendermerie.

It is important from a public relations standpoint, to be aware and sensitive to the different ethnic groups and the best way to frame the messages to them. It is important to be aware of any conflicts between ethnic groups so as to not overstep boundaries or to upset either of the involved groups.