🇨🇮Côte d'IvoireWest Africa
Ambassador Aly Touré honored at UK Parliament's International Business Leaders Summer Cocktail
via Abidjan.net9 min read
Ivorian diplomat Ambassador Aly Touré was a guest of honor at the International Business Leaders Summer Cocktail in the House of Lords on July 21, 2026. Hosted by Susanna Toth Lee, Chairwoman and Founder of HBBA Global, and Lata Gullapalli, President of Savoir-faireCompany, the event gathered 160 business leaders, investors, diplomats, and decision-makers from the UK, Europe, UAE, Hungary, and other countries. HBBA Global and The Savoir Faire Company collaborate to support business leaders, promote global trade, and foster innovation. Ambassador Touré highlighted Côte d'Ivoire's achievements under President Alassane Ouattara, noting an average economic growth of 6.5% over the last decade. He detailed the country's fourth National Development Plan 2026-2030, which aims for a 7.2% annual growth rate to increase per capita GDP from $3,148 to $4,500 within four years. The plan focuses on consolidating security and stability, modernizing agriculture, promoting private investment, developing human capital, strengthening strategic infrastructure, and promoting good governance. Ambassador Touré also mentioned the recent Consultative Group meeting in Abidjan on July 8-9, 2026, where Côte d'Ivoire secured $80 billion in financial commitments from partners, four times the initial target. He invited investors to participate in the 3rd generation National Agricultural Investment Program PNIA 3, particularly in processing cocoa, coffee, natural rubber, cashew nuts, cotton, and oil palm, wh
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Traoré Amidou officially assumed his role as the new director general of Côte d'Ivoire Énergies CI-ENERGIES on Friday, July 24, 2026. The handover ceremony was overseen by Yves Konan, the chairman of the board of directors. Traoré Amidou succeeds Noumory Sidibé, who led CI-ENERGIES for nearly five years. The board of directors commended Noumory Sidibé for his "remarkable work" during his tenure. They also expressed confidence in Traoré Amidou, urging him to continue the transformation of CI-ENERGIES and contribute to Côte d'Ivoire's ambition of becoming the energy hub of the sub-region. CI-ENERGIES is a public company responsible for managing and developing the electricity sector in Côte d'Ivoire.
Adama Coulibaly, Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Economy, Budget, and Finance, opened a joint ministerial session of the African Union's 9th Specialized Technical Committee STC on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration, and the 5th STC on Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Mineral Resources on July 23, 2026, in Abidjan-Cocody. Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé, Minister Coulibaly highlighted the critical need for financing industrialization to achieve sustainable development in Africa. He emphasized that ministers would review expert conclusions to adopt policies aimed at accelerating the continent's industrialization. The minister noted that financing industrialization is a multifaceted challenge involving fiscal policies, debt management, financial market development, private investment, and regional economic integration. Despite opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA, African economies remain heavily reliant on raw material exports, vulnerable to international market volatility, and face high capital costs. According to the African Development Bank AfDB, Africa needs to bridge an annual financing gap of approximately $400 billion by 2030 for structural transformation. Coulibaly called for better coordination of public resources, concessional financing, guarantee mechanisms, public-private partnerships, capital markets, and long-term savings from pension funds and insurance companies. He also stressed st
The Cocoa-Coffee Council initiated the free distribution of phytosanitary products to producers and the Agricultural Interprofessional Organization OIA Cocoa-Coffee for the current campaign. The official ceremony took place on July 24, 2026, in Duékoué, with Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Mr. Téné Birahima OUATTARA, in attendance. As part of an agricultural investment program, the regulator acquired insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers for the OIA Cocoa-Coffee and other farmer organizations. The goal is to maintain orchards and combat pests, insects, and diseases like brown rot. These distributed products are expected to treat approximately 1.5 million hectares of orchards. The Council clarified that this is a supplement to products producers purchase themselves, aiming to improve bean productivity and quality. The support program also includes the free distribution of improved "Mercedes" cocoa seeds and bush bags for commercialization. Additionally, through the Rural Investment Fund FIMR, the Cocoa-Coffee Council funds the reprofiling of village roads, access to drinking water, construction of health centers and classrooms, and distribution of school kits. These social actions benefit producers and their communities, enhancing their living conditions.