Côte d'Ivoire
Custom ERP and billing, AI agents, web applications and SaaS for food and logistics businesses in Abidjan. Built by Flip Retail in Jaipur, India, and delivered remotely, with working software every two weeks.
01 — Local economy
Côte d'Ivoire grows more cocoa than any other country, and much of it is ground and shipped from Abidjan, where grinders such as Cargill and Barry Callebaut run plants near the port. The Plateau district holds banks and the BRVM, the regional stock exchange of the eight WAEMU countries, the SIR refinery sits at Vridi, and Adjamé market and Yopougon's industrial zone handle trade and manufacturing.
French and Dioula
02 — Industries
What we would build first for the industries Abidjan is known for.
03 — Compliance
What an ERP, billing system or AI agent has to respect here.
| Indirect tax | TVA (VAT), standard rate 18%Standard TVA is 18%, with a 9% reduced rate on certain staples such as milk, infant formula and some rice and pasta. Only DGI-certified electronic invoices (FNE) support expense deductibility and input VAT recovery. |
|---|---|
| E-invoicing | Mandatory · FNE (Facture Normalisée Électronique) and RNE (Reçu Normalisé Électronique), DGIThe DGI rolled out FNE from mid-2025 in phases by tax regime (RNI, RSI, RME and entrepreneurs), and by 2026 it is fully in place: invoices and receipts must be certified by the DGI (electronic stamp with QR code) through its web platform, mobile app or an ERP API before being given to the customer. |
| Data protection | Law No. 2013-450 of 19 June 2013 on the protection of personal dataProcessing generally requires prior declaration to ARTCI, sensitive processing such as biometrics needs prior authorisation, and every international transfer needs prior ARTCI authorisation; no explicit data-localisation mandate. |
| AI rules | No AI-specific statute identified; AI processing of personal data is subject to Law 2013-450 and ARTCI declaration and authorisation rules. |
| Systems we migrate from or connect to | Sage 100 / Saari, Odoo, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, EBP, Ciel ComptaMasters, ledgers, stock and open balances move across and are reconciled before cutover. |
| Payment rails for web apps and SaaS | Orange Money, MTN MoMo, Wave, Moov Money, CinetPay, PayDunya |
| Also worth knowing | Accounting follows the revised OHADA system (SYSCOHADA) and invoices are issued in French. ERPs must integrate with FNE so each invoice is certified before it is issued. |
General information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm current requirements during discovery; your tax adviser should confirm anything that affects filings.
Sources consulted:
04 — Working together
Jaipur is 5 h 30 min ahead of Abidjan all year. A 09:00 start there is 14:30 in Jaipur. Standard 09:00–18:00 office days overlap by 3 h 30 min, which is enough for live calls, demos and same-day answers.
Local time, standard time.
Great communication, fluent English, delivered on time, and exceptional work.
50+ projects for 30+ clients in 11 countries over six-plus years.
05 — FAQ
Yes, remotely. Flip Retail is a software studio in Jaipur, India, with no office in Abidjan; discovery happens on video calls and you get working software every two weeks.
Jaipur is 5 h 30 min ahead of Abidjan all year. A 09:00 start there is 14:30 in Jaipur. Standard 09:00–18:00 office days overlap by 3 h 30 min, which is enough for live calls, demos and same-day answers.
Yes. Invoicing is built for Côte d'Ivoire's TVA (standard rate 18%). On e-invoicing: The DGI rolled out FNE from mid-2025 in phases by tax regime (RNI, RSI, RME and entrepreneurs), and by 2026 it is fully in place: invoices and receipts must be certified by the DGI (electronic stamp with QR code) through its web platform, mobile app or an ERP API before being given to the customer. A custom ERP connects to FNE through its official API or an accredited provider, and we confirm the current requirements in discovery.
You choose: your own cloud account in a region that suits you, or your own servers. Access inside the system is role-based, and during development we work on test or masked data wherever possible. Processing generally requires prior declaration to ARTCI, sensitive processing such as biometrics needs prior authorisation, and every international transfer needs prior ARTCI authorisation; no explicit data-localisation mandate.
Yes. Masters, ledgers, stock and opening balances move across and are reconciled with your accountant before cutover, ideally at a year-end or quarter-end.
For French, yes: current language models handle it well, including mixed-language messages. Support for Dioula is more limited, so we test with real customer messages before committing to it, and route anything the agent is unsure about to your team.
Usually one module that fixes the most expensive problem first. For agriculture & food processing that is often farmer & supplier procurement and grading & lot tracking. It goes live early, and the rest of the system follows in two-week increments while your team is already using it.
Contact
Tell us about the process you want fixed. We reply within one working day.