Alassane Ouattara

UN Speech by Ivory Coast President: “Bolder Measures” Needed To Help African Economies Hit by COVID-19

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Debate
Other press by DR General debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly by videoconference: Statement by HE Mr. Alassane OUATTARA, Head of State of the Republic of Côte d`Ivoire, September 24, 2020
September 28, 2020
The remarks by President Quattara at the United nations echoed those of other leaders of developing nations. However, we must contemplate taking even bolder action. The present global financial-economic system needs to be restructured.  The Bretton-Woods system as envisioned by President Franklin Roosevelt has been distorted beyond recognition.  The amount of debt and derivatives on the books of the international banking system is suffocating real economic expansion. Yes, we must have a debt moratorium for the duration of the crisis, but we have to do more. We have to construct a New Bretton Woods that will deflate existing unpayable debt and establish  standards for prioritizing the issuance of new credits explicitly for development; in particular infrastructure.  The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore, for all the world to see, the gross failure of the current globalized system. We, humanity, will only progress when we establish a higher platform of economy, one dedicated to the promotion of human life, not the balance sheets of debts. Read: New Economic Order Required to Combat COVID-19 in Africa

General debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly: Statement by His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

Excerpts below:
“Faced with the spread of COVID-19, developing countries, especially African countries, are more severely affected by the economic and social effects of the absence of global initiatives in favor of of their savings. In this context, in my capacity as Champion for the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, I welcome the initiative of the G20 to grant a moratorium on the service of the bilateral public debt for the benefit of several African countries.

“I call on all the continent’s partners to take bolder measures aimed at relieving our economies hard hit by the effects of COVID-19. Africa’s financial needs are estimated at US $ 100 billion per year over three (3) years, or a total of US $ 300 billion. In addition, countries should have budgetary leeway to allow them to pursue the necessary social investments and take into account security needs, especially in countries facing terrorism.

“Finally, the world must hear the Africans’ call for the cancellation of the public debt of their countries. My country supports the African Union’s efforts to collectively renegotiate the continent’s debt with the creditors, and to obtain an extension of the debt moratorium, mentioned above. But we must go further and act without further delay. African countries need lasting solutions, in particular liquidity and investments, in order to withstand the unprecedented shock suffered by our populations and to continue the development process of the continent.

Among these solutions, I recommend recourse to the Special Drawing Rights of the International Monetary Fund; a mechanism that has already proved effective during the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.

“The fight against COVID-19 must not overshadow other diseases such as Malaria and AIDS, which claim more victims in African countries. Above all, it must not destroy efforts to fight poverty. In this area, my country has launched vigorous reforms that have reduced poverty by 15.6 percentage points in eight years.
The regional study on poverty by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the World Bank confirms that Côte d’Ivoire has gone from a poverty rate of 55.01% in 2011. at 39.4% in 2018. It is therefore about 1.6 million Ivorians who were lifted out of poverty during this period.

“Likewise, still according to recent statistics from the World Bank, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of Côte d’Ivoire has more than doubled, from 1120 US dollars in 2011 to 2290 US dollars in 2019. , making Côte d’Ivoire the country with the highest per capita income in the West African sub-region.”

Ivory Coast Increases Manufacturing Capacity to Advance Their Economy

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Laying of the first stone of the cocoa bean processing plant, the warehouse and the training center for cocoa trades Abidjan on September 22, 2020. President Alassane Ouattara chaired this Tuesday the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the cocoa bean processing plant, warehouse and training center for cocoa trades. Abidjan.net by Atapointe
September 23, 2020
The article below, posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 on Abidjan.net highlights the efforts by the government of Ivory Coast to increase its processing capacity of coca beans. This expansion of Ivory Coast’s manufacturing sector is positive. For emerging African nations to develop and improve the living standards of their people, it is necessary to increase their manufacturing sector as thy move to industrialize their economies. African nation nations cannot any longer allow themselves to be dominated by extraction of their natural resources. 

National Development Plan: Alassane Ouattara launches construction work on two cocoa bean processing units

The Head of State, Alassane Ouattara proceeded on Tuesday, September 22, to the laying of the first stone of a cocoa bean processing unit at the PK24 industrial complex in the town of Anyama. The Chinese Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire and several ministers took part in the ceremony.

“These facilities will contribute to the industrialization of our country and promote job creation for the populations,” said Alassane Ouattara. The head of Eta has expressed the wish that by 2025 Côte d’Ivoire will be able to transform 100% of its cocoa production on site. “Next year, projects of this kind will allow us to achieve a growth rate of 8%, which means that it is an essential project,” said Alassane Ouattara. This official ceremony of the laying of the first stone marks the launch and start of construction work on two cocoa bean processing units on two sites with an area of ​​21 hectares each in Abidjan and San-Pedro. The two cocoa bean processing units will have a capacity of 50,000 tonnes each. In addition to these two processing units, two 300,000-ton storage warehouses will be built on each site. The products can be stored there for a period of two years. Finally, the PK24 site will host a training center for cocoa trades to participate in the development of human capital.

The Director General of the Coffee and Cocoa Council, Koné Brahima Yves announced during the ceremony that the overall cost of this project is estimated at 216 billion FCFA. “The financing was only possible thanks to the excellent relations between Côte d’Ivoire and China, the support of the Ministries of Agriculture, Economy and Finance as well as that of Trade and industry, ”revealed the CEO of the cafe-cocoa council. Still according to Koné Brahima Yves, the work will end in 24 months on the two sites. “It should be noted that in the implementation agreement for this project, 40% of the production of factories will be intended for the Chinese market,” said the CEO of the coffee-cocoa council. Finally, the regulator announces that after the completion of these factories, the capital will be open to the private sector.

The implementation of this pilot project by the Café-Cacao council is part of the National Development Plan (PND). It will help make the coffee-cocoa sector more efficient and able to meet internal demand. Also, this project will promote innovation and technological development.

Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in the economic development policy of Africa for over 30 years. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com