Ivory Coast inflation dips to 2.3 pct in August

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's year-on-year consumer price inflation fell to 2.3 percent in August from 2.4 percent in July, figures from the National Statistics Institute showed on Thursday. The monthly report showed food and soft drink prices climbed 1.3 percent, utility prices rose 1.8 percent and communication costs slipped 0.1 percent. Healthcare prices dropped 2.5 percent while transport prices were unchanged. The economy of the world's top cocoa producer makes up around 40 percent of the eight-nation West African CFA franc currency zone.