The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that in developing countries alone there are some 250 million children between the ages of five and 14 years who work. For 120 million of them, work is a full-time activity. Although child work occurs in all parts of the world, it is in Africa where a child is most likely to be involved in work and where child work is growing most rapidly. ILO estimates that the 80 million African child workers today could surge to 100 million by 2015. This paper looks at African child work in the context of Côte d'Ivoire. It aims at providing a brief overview of the various dimensions of the child work phenomenon in the country - its extent and nature, its causes and consequences, and national legislation and policies adopted to address it.