> most nuts from sub-Saharan countries like Côte d'Ivoire get exported to VN for processing
Wow, that is crazy to think about. Exporting from one developing country to another -- on the other side of the planet, no less! Why can't Côte d'Ivoire do the processing themselves? That sounds like a great business opportunity. GDP per capita is about 30% lower in Côte d'Ivoire, so labour costs might also be cheaper.
> Why can't Côte d'Ivoire do the processing themselves?
Capital.
Historically, Asian LDCs like Vietnam and Cambodia have had access to Japanese and Korean development loans and grants which allowed for businesses to build and innovate.
Most Sub-Saharan economies did not have those kinds of capital markets.
Depending on where you are in Africa, the Gulf, Turkey, India, and China have stepped in to fill the capital gap, but they tend to be much more extractive in their terms.
