ony , ▁but ▁the ▁northern ▁boundary ▁was ▁not ▁fixed ▁until ▁ 1 9 4 7 ▁because ▁of ▁efforts ▁by ▁the ▁French ▁government ▁to ▁attach ▁parts ▁of ▁Upper ▁Vol ta ▁( present - day ▁Bur k ina ▁F aso ) ▁and ▁French ▁Sud an ▁( present - day ▁M ali ) ▁to ▁I v ory ▁Coast ▁for ▁economic ▁and ▁administrative ▁reasons . ▁ ▁France ' s ▁main ▁goal ▁was ▁to ▁stim ulate ▁the ▁production ▁of ▁exports . ▁C off ee , ▁c ocoa , ▁and ▁pal m ▁oil ▁cro ps ▁were ▁soon ▁plant ed ▁along ▁the ▁coast . ▁I v ory ▁Coast ▁stood ▁out ▁as ▁the ▁only ▁West ▁African ▁country ▁with ▁a ▁size able ▁population ▁of ▁sett lers ; ▁elsewhere ▁in ▁West ▁and ▁Central ▁Africa , ▁the ▁French ▁and ▁British ▁were ▁largely ▁b ureau cr ats . ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁French ▁citizens ▁owned ▁one - third ▁of ▁the ▁c ocoa , ▁coffee , ▁and ▁ban ana ▁plant ations ▁and ▁adopted ▁the ▁local ▁forced - l abor ▁system . ▁ ▁Through out ▁the ▁early ▁years ▁of ▁French ▁rule , ▁French ▁military ▁cont ing ents ▁were ▁sent ▁in land ▁to ▁establish ▁new ▁posts . ▁Some ▁of ▁the ▁native ▁population ▁and ▁former ▁slave - own ing ▁class ▁resist ed ▁French ▁sett lers . ▁Among ▁those ▁offering ▁greatest ▁resistance ▁was ▁Sam ori ▁T ure , ▁who ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 8 9 0 s ▁was ▁conqu ering ▁his ▁neighb ors , ▁re - est ab lish ing ▁sla very ▁and