Industrial Infrastructure and Local Development: The Case of the PK-24 Industrial Zone of Akoupe Zeudji in Cote D' Ivoire

In order to make industrial development one of the main pillars of their economic policy, the Ivorian authorities opted for the industrialization of rural areas at the beginning of independence through the establishment of a number of state and private companies. It is the latter that will be the focus of our attention. This article proposes to study the link between the new PK-24 Industrial Zone of Akoupé Zeudji, located in a rural area near Abidjan, and the development of two localities in the peri-urban countryside of the city, namely AKoupé Zeudji and Attinguié. The methodology was based on documentary research, field observation, an inventory of non-agricultural activities and habitats, an interview guide administered to industrialists and administrative and customary authorities, and a questionnaire survey of 100 villagers. The results reveal that the new PK-24 Industrial Zone of Akoupé Zeudji has a considerable impact on the localities surveyed at the social, economic, spatial and environmental levels. Indeed, it generates jobs and thus contributes to reducing poverty in these localities. It also improves the quality of life of the population. However, the presence of this industrial infrastructure is at the root of the resurgence of land conflicts on the one hand and contributes to environmental degradation on the other.