Communes of Ivory Coast. Green dots indicate the location of the settlement that serves as seat of each commune.
The communes of Ivory Coast are a fifth-level administrative unit of administration in Ivory Coast. The sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast contain villages, and in select instances more than one village is combined into a commune. There are currently 197 communes in the 510 sub-prefectures.
Prior to 2011, communes were the third-level administrative units of the country. Under the administration of Laurent Gbagbo, the number of communes grew to more than 1300. In 2011, a reorganization of the country's subdivisions was undertaken, with a goal of decentralizing the state. As part of the reorganization, communes were converted from third-level divisions into fifth-level divisions.
In March 2012, the government abolished 1126 communes on the grounds that under the new jurisdiction of districts, regions, departments, and sub-prefectures, these particular communes were not economically viable governmental units.[1] As a result of the reorganisation, there are now 197 communes in Ivory Coast.[1] In many parts of the country, responsibilities previously carried out by the communes have been transferred to other levels of government. In most cases, the town that is the seat of the commune is also the seat of a sub-prefecture.
(in French) Décret n° 85-1114 du 8 novembre 1985, fixant le ressort territorial de quatre-vingt-dix-huit (98) communes et portant modification des limites territoriales d'une commune
(in French) Décret n° 95-529 du 14 juillet 1995, portant modification du décret n° 80-1078 due 19 septembre 1980 fixant le ressort territorial des communes de Côte d'Ivoire et du décret n° 85-1114 du 8 novembre 1985, fixant le ressort territorial de quatre-vingt-dix-huit (98) communes et portant modification des limites territoriales d'une commune
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