Mr Ouattara now controls the main cocoa-exporting port of San Pedro, and wants to restart the trade.
But his troops are still not in control of all of the main city Abidjan, where his rival Laurent Gbagbo remains holed up in the presidential residence.
Aid agencies are warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Abidjan.
Residents of the city are without basic amenities such as running water and power, and food supplies are running low.
Witnesses say bodies are lying on the streets after days of bitter fighting between loyalists of the two presidential claimants.
‘Question of principle’
Mr Ouattara, widely recognised as the winner of a presidential election last November, told Ivorian TV he was taking measures to get the economy back up and running.
“I have asked that European Union sanctions on the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro and certain public entities, be lifted,” he said.
Ivory Coast is the world’s biggest cocoa-producing nation, but uncertainty and violence since the disputed election has badly damaged the industry.
Mr Ouattara said the central bank would begin reopening its branches, and the army would secure delivery of medical supplies to hospitals and food to markets.
He blamed Mr Gbagbo for plunging the country into crisis, but said his forces now had the presidential palace under blockade.
Advisers to Mr Gbagbo, who insists he won the election, say the embattled incumbent is determined not to surrender.
“President Gbagbo will not cede,” said his Paris-based adviser Toussaint Alain.
“It’s a question of principle. President Gbagbo is not a monarch. He is not a king. He is not an emperor. He is a president elected by his people.”
French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said Mr Gbagbo had fewer than 1,000 troops left loyal to him.
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