“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” – Nelson Mandela. 

In a country that had been torn apart by devastating civil wars between 2002 and April 2011, the Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouatarra is hopeful that whatever remnants of discord still remain among his compatriots will be completely buried by a successful hosting of the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. 

“We must show our ability to unite, to make our country shine,” President Ouatarra exhorted  his compatriots in his New Year’s address. 

Travelling from the commercial hub of Abidjan to the host cities that include the beautiful coastal town of San Pedro and the capital Yamoussoukro, the newly completed roads provide encouraging evidence of the improvement in the road infrastructure as part of the build-up for the biennial tournament. Hotel and medical facilities have similarly been improved which will no doubt hugely benefit the local population.  

Already there are early signs of a return on investment, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting that the Ivory Coast economy will grow by a healthy 6.6% in 2024, earning them a place among the top 10 best performing economies in the world.  

The construction of the new 20,000-seat stadium in San Pedro, named after legendary Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou, means the town’s two top division teams Sewe Sport and San Pedro FC will no longer have to undertake the arduous three-hour road journey to Abidjan, where they were forced to play their home games due to the absence of an adequate venue in their hometown.

The four top-quality training pitches, complete with well-equipped change rooms, in the host cities will also provide great new facilities for the lower division clubs as well as junior teams. 

Ivory Coast highlights the emergence of two players, Wilfried Singo and Simon Adingra, who have emerged from remote areas to star respectively with top French side Monaco and the impressive Brighton, who have lit up the Premier League.  

The 23-year-old Singo, comes from AS Denguélé, who are based in Odienne, about 700km north of Abidjan. Adingra, the 22-year-old midfielder who has made a big impression in his first season with the Seagulls after moving from Danish side Nordsjaelland, is from Bondouko,  more than 400km  from Abidjan. 

While many Ivorians will be hoping their team repeats the success of their predecessors of 1992 and 2015, the locals in Abidjan are not too optimistic about the Elephants’ chances of lifting African football’s most coveted prize for a third time.  

Led by Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller, who made a remarkable return to football last January after winning a six-month battle with testicular cancer, the current Ivorian side is not quite on the same level as the golden generation that included the likes of Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho and Didier Zakora. Still, despite the glittering array of talent, they failed to lift the Nations Cup when their undoubted talent suggested they should have done so.  

The smart money will be on Morocco, who were so impressive in becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup just over a year ago, to win their first title since their only success in 1976.