Cosmos Yopougon, a shopping mall in Côte d’Ivoire which opened in October 2018 has been conferred with the International Finance Corporation’s Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (IFC EDGE) certification for Green Buildings. It received the certification in June 2020. According to the developers, the building meets international standards for resource efficiency by incorporating energy and water-saving technologies into its design, construction and internal processes. 

Cosmos Yopougon was developed by HC Capital Properties in partnership with SFO Group. It is located in Yopougon, Abidjan’s largest municipality and according to its developers, it is the largest and most visited shopping mall in Côte d’Ivoire. It sits on 17,000 m² of land and has 14,000 m² in leasable space. Cosmos Yopougon currently has Burger King, Carrefour and Majestic Cinemas anchor tenants. Other tenants include MTN, Orange, Amore and Brioche Doree.  

Reflective paint was used on the exterior of the building to reduce solar heat gains, energy-efficient HVAC system, LED lighting and water-efficient plumbing fixtures were used to reduce the energy and water consumption in the building. The building also has skylights to provide daylighting on the top floor.

Cosmos Yopougon is the third mall to receive the EDGE certification in Sub-Saharan Africa after Novare Great North in Zambia and Takoradi Mall in Ghana. It is also the first operational mall to do so in Francophone Africa. The Douala Grand Mall in Cameroon and Sea Plaza in Senegal are other notable malls in the region.

The Douala Grand Mall has already received a preliminary IFC EDGE certification in May 2019 but will be opening in Q3: 2020. It will also be the largest mall in Francophone Africa with a gross leasable area of 18,000 m². The Douala Grand Mall is currently leasing out space to tenants ahead of its opening.