▁stim ulate ▁production , ▁which ▁was ▁further ▁boost ed ▁by ▁a ▁significant ▁imm igration ▁of ▁workers ▁from ▁surrounding ▁countries . ▁C off ee ▁production ▁increased ▁significantly , ▁cat ap ult ing ▁I v ory ▁Coast ▁into ▁third ▁place ▁in ▁world ▁output , ▁behind ▁Brazil ▁and ▁Colombia . ▁By ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁the ▁country ▁was ▁the ▁world ' s ▁leading ▁producer ▁of ▁c ocoa . ▁It ▁also ▁became ▁Africa ' s ▁leading ▁exp orter ▁of ▁p ine app les ▁and ▁pal m ▁oil . ▁French ▁techn icians ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁" I vo i rian ▁mi racle ". ▁In ▁other ▁African ▁nations , ▁the ▁people ▁drove ▁out ▁the ▁Europe ans ▁following ▁independence , ▁but ▁in ▁I v ory ▁Coast , ▁they ▁pou red ▁in . ▁The ▁French ▁community ▁grew ▁from ▁only ▁ 3 0 , 0 0 0 ▁prior ▁to ▁independence ▁to ▁ 6 0 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 0 , ▁most ▁of ▁them ▁teachers , ▁man agers , ▁and ▁advis ors . ▁For ▁ 2 0 ▁years , ▁the ▁economy ▁maintained ▁an ▁annual ▁growth ▁rate ▁of ▁nearly ▁ 1 0 % — the ▁highest ▁of ▁Africa ' s ▁non - o il - export ing ▁countries . ▁ ▁Hou ph ou ë t - Bo igny ▁administration ▁Hou ph ou ë t - Bo igny ' s ▁one - party ▁rule ▁was ▁not ▁am enable ▁to ▁political ▁competition . ▁Laurent ▁G bag bo , ▁who ▁would ▁become ▁the ▁president ▁of ▁I v ory ▁Coast ▁in