Located in the extreme southwest of Ivory Coast, San Pedro is currently buzzing for the African Cup of Nations. The Laurent Pokou stadium, built for the occasion, hosts Group F of the competition. And with this organization obtained ten years ago, an entire city lives to the rhythm of football until January 30.
5 mins
From our special correspondent in San Pedro,
It took forty years for the CAN come back Ivory Coast. If the wait was interminable, it is now benefiting the seaside town of San Pedro. Long isolated from the rest of Ivory Coast, the port city is on the rise. The party is in full swing. Plus one hotel room available in town.
During this CAN, a large part of the local population should benefit from the economic benefits. “ With the Moroccan supporters, I work a little more », slips a taxi driver timidly.
A former small fishing village that has become a very populated city
San Pedro, a former small fishing village, has continued to grow since the 1970s to become the first cocoa port in the world. The population is estimated at more than 650,000 inhabitants. European and African restaurants with an abundance of fresh fish, seafood and shellfish now face the Atlantic Ocean and take advantage of passing customers to work more.
In the Bardot district, the largest and busiest in the city center, a shopkeeper sells tap shoes presented on a small wheelbarrow. In the stifling, humid heat, she explains that her work is necessary to support her four children, the last two of whom are young twins. The eldest, who is thirteen, is right next door. “ I help my mother when I don’t go to school », says the young teenager, fan of Real Madrid and PSG. He went to watch his star defender, Achraf Hakimi, who played in Madrid and Paris, play. Indelible memory.
Before our eyes, a sunglasses seller tries to make his way on this chaotic stretch of sidewalk, with the sound of horns from the intersection next door serving as background music. While the fresh fish sellers are busy, red earth under their feet, a few meters further on, a football jersey seller tidies up his little stand as best he can. “ Since the defeat of Côte d’Ivoire (against Nigeria on the second day 1-0Editor’s note), it’s calmer “, he laments. He now has to lower the price of his merchandise, which he sold much more easily before the start of the competition. He sometimes doubled the initial price, depending on supply and demand.
“ Fortunately I’m selling some Moroccan jerseys “, said good-naturedly this father of seven children, the eldest of whom went to do ” his life in France “. He arrived in San Pedro as a teenager, leaving his small village on the border with Mali, to find a better life. “ Thank God I can feed my kids and we have a decent place to live », says this illiterate man, a goat keeper from a very young age. According to the World Bank, in 2019, 39.5% of the Ivorian population lived below the poverty line.
A few minutes away, the city’s fan zone attracts crowds after dark, especially for Elephants matches. Orange sky before seeing the stars, smell of cocoa, children having fun, everything seems to be celebrating.
Give priority to city traders
Abou, who is part of the entertainment staff, explains that the regional prefect asked that the stands located in the fan zone be run exclusively by traders from the city. “ I believe that the Moroccan community has done a lot of good for the population. She came in numbers and consumes. On match days, some people travel back and forth from surrounding towns because they haven’t found accommodation. It must be said that prices have soared “, he says, praising at the same time the magnificent beaches of the region.
“ Ivorians are starting to travel within their own country and come here more easily since the coastal road exists », welcomes this accountant in civilian life. The 350 kilometers of road that separate Abidjan from San Pedro, a place discovered five centuries ago by the Portuguese Soeiro Da Costa, who named it after the patron saint of the day, have been completely redone. This halves the travel time, approximately three and a half hours by car.
Abou directly cites the marvelous golden sand beach of Monogaga, its turquoise water and its colorful canoes. He speaks of a “ Heaven on Earth » about twenty kilometers from San Pedro, where all the cocoa passes before leaving African soil.
Nakaridja Cissé, recently elected mayor of San Pedro, is pleased that the Pétrussiens are benefiting from the CAN. Example: during each match, around a hundred young people work to clean the stadium and its surroundings. “ Everyone is mobilized to welcome this CAN with joy. For us, it’s a party. We want Côte d’Ivoire to remain a land of hospitality », Enthuses this former midwife. She also asked that four districts each support one of the four teams in Group F. “ Yes, the Moroccan players will also have Ivorian supporters, just like the Tanzanians, the Zambians and the Congolese », concludes Nakaridja Cissé about this “CAN of hospitality”.
In total, Ivory Coast spent $1.5 billion to prepare for the event, according to official figures, and hopes to benefit in the short and long term.
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