ABIDJAN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire's commerce ministry on Wednesday launched a three-month nationwide drive to register economic operators, aiming to standardize the commercial sector and boost its contribution to the national economy.

Technical advisor Ibrahim Coulibaly said at the launching ceremony that the initiative, using a proximity-based approach, will engage directly with traders to facilitate registration and compliance.

Hamidou Body, director general of Universal Technology, which implements the project, said the goal is to register over 1.5 million economic actors within three months and recover at least one-third of outstanding fees through collective mobilization.

As part of its policy to formalize economic activities, the Ivorian government now requires a digital trader card for all economic operators, enabling registration in the National Register of Traders and Entrepreneurs. ■