Experiences on rural development from Sub-Saharan Africa: Côte d'Ivoire and Tanzania

Sub-Saharan Africa faces many rural development challenges. Its demographic transition has come late, and the sub-continent has the highest fertility rates in the world. The process of structural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa is also still in the early stages, with agriculture being the predominant livelihood activity. This chapter explores the challenges and opportunities of two sub-Saharan African countries – Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania – and draws out some wider lessons. The two countries have taken different approaches to rural development. Côte d’Ivoire has prioritised agricultural development and diversification as the engine of the economy, rather than implementing an explicit rural development strategy. However, despite strong agricultural performance, extreme poverty is entrenched and the country has seen human development levels decline since the 1990s. Tanzania has adopted different approaches to rural development over time but, even if the country has recorded sustained economic growth since the mid-2000s and levels of extreme poverty have fallen substantially, this has not translated into a substantial increase in the living standards of the rural population. Inadequate implementation and governance are some of the main factors holding the country back from making significant advances in rural livelihoods.