Eid in Ivory Coast: Sheep Shortage and Soaring Prices Leave Families Struggling

Abidjan, Ivory Coast — With Eid al-Adha just days away, customers at a sheep market in Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan are hoping to buy animals for the Muslim festival. But supply is significantly down on last year, and traders are driving hard bargains as families struggle with prices that have spiralled well beyond what many can afford.

Buyers trudged through a muddy market in the Adjame district, looking for the best-priced sheep to be sacrificed for the celebration, with traders holding firm on rates in the run-up to the holiday that marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Prices have shot up this year, and animals are harder to come by as Ivory Coast’s usual supply from neighbouring Sahel countries has been disrupted by export bans and conflict-related disruptions to transport routes.

Supply Crisis

Ivory Coast depends heavily on imports to meet Eid demand. Around 75 percent of the sheep and cattle needed for Tabaski, the local name for Eid al-Adha, come from countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali. That amounts to roughly 350,000 animals for the festive period.

But Burkina Faso halted livestock exports earlier this month to protect its domestic market, following a similar move by Niger in March. The restrictions are designed to keep food prices affordable at home, but the knock-on effect has been deeply felt in Ivory Coast.

In Mali, roads have been blocked by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda, making transport routes dangerous and some journeys impossible. While some trucks manage to slip across borders illegally, tighter checks on the Burkinabe side are keeping numbers low.

“I have 300 head of cattle at the Burkina border. It’s impossible to bring them into Ivory Coast,” said Assimi Barry, a trader who has been selling at the Adjame market for 40 years.

Another trader, Ibrahim Sow, said he had “150 animals blocked in Koutiala, in Mali, all paid for, just waiting to be delivered here.”

Both men say supplies are particularly tight this year — about half of last year’s levels, according to Sow.

Price Hikes Hit Families Hard

With fewer sheep available for sacrifice at the family feast, haggling was in full swing across the market. For many families, the cost is simply beyond reach.

“I’m offering 250,000 CFA francs ($440). Otherwise, I’ll look elsewhere,” said Lagazane Ouattara, speaking from inside his car to avoid the mud.

The seller refused to budge, blaming the shortage. “This one’s worth 500,000 CFA francs,” he said, patting the ram.

After lengthy bargaining, Ouattara walked away with a large ram from another trader for 320,000 CFA francs — but complained bitterly about the higher prices this year.

“Last year, 200,000 CFA francs would get you a good ram. This year, you’re looking at at least 250,000,” Barry said.

For many Ivorians, this is out of reach in a country where the monthly minimum wage is 75,000 CFA francs ($131).

Buyer Kassoum Ouattara told this publication he was struggling to find an animal within his usual budget of 150,000 CFA francs. “I may have to go without this year,” he said. “There is simply no affordable option left.”

Government Response

A week before the holiday, Trade Minister Ibrahim Kalil Konate said nearly 165,000 sheep — 47 percent of national demand — were already on the market, with prices “for all budgets.” Authorities also said they aimed to boost local production, which currently covers between 25 and 45 percent of demand, according to official figures.

But convincing buyers to switch to locally bred sheep may not be easy. Locally bred animals are known to be smaller than those from neighbouring Sahelian countries — a key consideration for families who cater for a major religious celebration where the size of the sacrifice matters culturally.

The Eid sheep shortage is the latest reminder of how the Sahel’s instability is rippling across West Africa. Disrupted supply chains, border closures and jihadist violence are forcing governments and households to rethink how they source basic goods — and at what cost.