Country Map Here


Capital    Yamoussoukro
Official Language French
Population 20,617,068
(2009 estimate*)
# Living with HIV/AIDS 450,000
(2009 estimate*)
# Living with TB 130,000
(2009 estimate*)
# of Malaria Cases 1,847,367
(2009 estimate*)
*All data is courtesy of globalhealthfacts.org
Updated March 2011

Ministry Foreign Affairs webpage

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is found in West Africa. It's bordered by Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean to the south. The country gained independence from France in August 1960. After independence, Côte d’Ivoire enjoyed economic success until the worldwide economic crises of the 1980's. Economic instability led to two coups d'état (1999 and 2001) and a civil war lasting from 2002-2007.

Maintaining close ties with France since independence, the diversification of agriculture for export, and the encouragement of foreign investment has made Côte d’Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states. In recent years, Côte d’Ivoire has been subject to greater competition and falling prices in the global marketplace for its primary agricultural crops: coffee and cocoa.

Côte d’Ivoire sits in a warm, tropical climate. Temperature ranges vary in coastal and inland locations, but normally reach between 25-35°C (77-95°F).

Hotel Wafou / Photo Credit
Côte d’Ivoire

LabCap Objectives

  • Offering technical assistance to the tuberculosis (TB) laboratory system (National TB Control Program (NTCP) and National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at Institut Pasteur-Côte d’Ivoire)
  • Guiding laboratory infrastructure renovations and selection of TB diagnostic tools
  • Implementing and validating TB liquid culture, drug susceptibility testing (DST), and identification
  • Optimizing acid fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy training
  • Elaborating and assisting with the roll out of a national scheme for the external quality assessment (EQA) of AFB smear microscopy
  • Strengthening biosafety measures
  • Assisting with development and implementation of TB national strategic planning and policy
  • Providing guidance for TB/HIV infection control
  • Optimizing diagnostics for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), other than HIV
  • Sub-contracting local NGO for moving three laboratories toward ISO-15189 accreditation

Program Highlights

TB Laboratory Infrastructure Building
Since July 2007, ASM has been working with the leadership of the NRL for TB, Institut Pasteur-Côte d’Ivoire, and the largest of eleven regional Anti-Tuberculosis Center Laboratories (CAT-Adjamé) to assist with laboratory renovation design plans, as well as develop lists of equipment, reagent and supply needs for three national TB laboratories seeking to implement TB culture capacity. ASM procured and delivered essential TB lab commodities for these three aforementioned TB laboratories in Abidjan.

In Spring 2008, ASM led a team of representatives from the Foundation of Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in introductory meetings with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Côte d’Ivoire and national stakeholders. The purpose was to initiate a first-time multi-organizational collaboration between the CDC, WHO, ASM and FIND, in order to provide well-coordinated TB laboratory capacity building to Côte d’Ivoire. In late 2008, FIND included Côte d’Ivoire as one of the project countries under a UNITAID-Global Laboratory Initiative-FIND-Global Drug Facility initiative which will provide Côte d’Ivoire with new TB diagnostic tools to help optimize detection of drug-resistant TB.

Strengthening AFB Smear Microscopy EQA and Training
Since April 2008, ASM has been working with the NTCP on conceptualizing an improved national EQA program for AFB smear microscopy. Specific activities have included assisting with implementing blinded rechecking of sputum smears and strengthening supervisory visit methodology. ASM is following up with these activities on an ongoing basis.

Additionally, ASM has been working with NTCP laboratory officers on revising the national AFB smear microscopy training manual utilized during five-day national training sessions. In August 2008, ASM participated in a workshop and offered recommendations for improving training delivery and roll-out.

Assisting with TB National Strategic Planning and Policy Development
In February 2009, ASM participated in a week-long National Strategic Planning Workshop for TB, HIV and Malaria Laboratories driven by the Ivorian Ministry of Health's National Public Health Laboratory and sponsored by CDC-Côte d’Ivoire. ASM offered recommendations for integrating the laboratory services and is assisting with guiding elaboration of key policy documents.

Implementing and Validating TB Liquid Culture, DST, and Identification
As a follow up to a French TB Liquid Culture and DST course ASM presented in Abidjan in April 2010, ASM placed a consultant in-country to assist the Laboratory Managers at CeDReS and at the NRL for TB at IPCI with implementation of learned procedures. The laboratories are still under renovation, but groundwork has been performed in the development of mentee workplans, and the customization of testing algorithms and other essential guidance documents, as well as the provision of recommendations throughout the renovation process.

Providing Guidance for TB/HIV Infection Control
In March 2010, ASM started offering support to the NTCP for development of TB/HIV infection control measures. Assistance was initiated in the form of a technical review of Côte d’Ivoire's National Guidelines for TB/HIV Infection Control. In follow up, an ASM consultant traveled to Abidjan in September 2010. ASM has determined specific steps toward implementing essential TB/HIV infection control measures in Côte d’Ivoire and will work with the national stakeholders to develop and implement key guidance and training documents.

Optimizing Diagnostics for STIs other than HIV/AIDS
In March 2010, ASM affected an assessment visit of 3 sites where STI diagnostics are performed. The introductory visit ended in a debriefing meeting with key recommendations to include the development of a national technical working group for STI diagnostics. In follow up, ASM is developing an STI training package to be introduced and customized in Côte d’Ivoire at a later date and sent a consultant in November 2010 to begin assisting with implementing proper testing procedures at the NRL for STIs.

Sub-contracting local NGO for moving three laboratories toward ISO-15189 accreditation
ASM selected an NGO, African Medical Laboratory Services (AMLS), for this activity. AMLS has thus far evaluated the laboratories moving toward accreditation and held a sensitization session for the laboratories in order to familiarize them with the ISO-15189 process.