Ivory Coast’s civil servants make easy prey for loan sharks

Across much of Africa, loans and credit are hard to obtain for businesses and individuals alike. Some turn to loan sharks, whose repayment terms can be crippling. In Ivory Coast, public sector workers are some of those most likely to borrow from so-called « loan lizards », since they have modest but stable incomes. But many civil servants find themselves unable to fully pay off the loans and end up mired in debt. Our correspondents report.