Ivory Coast - The African Mirror

Oct

2023

Ivory Coast cocoa regulator scraps stockpile exemption for bean grinders

IVORY Coast cocoa sector regulator will not allow bean grinders to accumulate stocks beyond authorised limits during the main October to March harvest to ensure fair access amid fears of a supply shortage. Cocoa futures have hit record highs due to forecasts for a drop in production, particularly from Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world's top two producers that account for more than 70% of world output. Ivory Coast's main crop is expected to fall by around 25% this season compared with the previous season due to poor weather. Ivory Coast cocoa exporters and bean grinders have a purchasing limit each year…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

Ivory Coast president removes prime minister, dissolves government

NEWS

IVORY Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has removed the prime minister and dissolved his government, the presidency's secretary general Aboudramane Cisse said. No reason was provided for the unexpected move. "The president expresses his gratitude to Prime Minister Patrick Achi and to all members of the government for their commitment to serving the nation over the past years," Cisse said. They will remain in temporary charge until a new prime minister and government are appointed, he added. It is not uncommon for presidents in Ivory Coast to make drastic, unexpected changes to their governments. Achi tabled his resignation and that of his government…

Jul

2023

By MEDIA COULIBALY and LUC GNAGO

Seven killed in building collapse in Ivory Coast

NEWS

A six-storey building collapsed while under construction in Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan, killing at least seven of the builders on site, firefighters at the scene said. Around midday local time, the workers heard cracking sounds and the building started to crumble around them, said caretaker and builder Jourdin Yoro. "In a rush, we started to run," Yoro said. "Within about 45 seconds, the building collapsed." Rescue efforts were ongoing at the site in Abidjan's upscale Riviera Palmeraie district on Saturday with emergency workers searching through a vast pile of shattered concrete and debris. A further nine people were wounded…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Hijacked Singapore-registered oil tanker recovered in Ivory Coast

NEWS

A hijacked Singapore-registered oil tanker has been recovered and escorted to Abidjan port in Ivory Coast, five days after it was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ivorian military said. On Tuesday, Singapore's port authority said the tanker had been boarded by "unidentified persons" about 300 nautical miles (555 km) off the Ivory Coast with 20 crew of various nationalities aboard. A search operation by Ivory Coast's navy backed by a French navy aircraft located the vessel on Saturday, Ivorian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lassina Doumbia said in a statement. "As for the crew, they are safe and…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Suspected pirates board Singaporean ship

NEWS

A Singapore-registered oil tanker was boarded by "unidentified persons" about 300 nautical miles (555 km) off Ivory Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, the city-state's port authority said. The Gulf of Guinea has become a hotspot for global piracy in recent years, although incidents have dwindled since 2021 as national authorities stepped up security efforts, helped by foreign naval ships, the United Nations says. The tanker Success 9 had 20 crew of various nationalities aboard, one of whom was Singaporean when it "was boarded by unidentified persons" on Monday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said. In a…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

In Africa’s fields, a plan to pay fair wages for chocolate withers

NEWS

ANGE ABOA and MAYTAAL ANGEL IVORIAN cocoa bean farmer Edouard Kouame Kouadio expects to die poor, despite rising demand for the raw material that feeds the world's insatiable appetite for chocolate. More chocolate than ever is eaten globally, but a flagship programme launched in 2019 that promised a living wage to growers like Kouadio in top cocoa producers Ivory Coast and Ghana has left many worse off, data and interviews with growers, traders and industry experts show. Kouadio and more than a dozen Ivorian farmers consulted by Reuters said they were paid well below a price set by the government,…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Ivory Coast eyes startups growth with new legislation to support the sector

BUSINESS

BIRD STORY AGENCY IVORY Coast is positioning itself as a significant player in Africa's startup ecosystem with the introduction of a new legislative framework designed to support the country's entrepreneurs. The Ivorian Council of Ministers recently gave the nod to the Startup Act, a framework awaiting parliamentary approval. The proposed bill promises to revolutionise the digital startup landscape by providing crucial financing and support terms to bolster vulnerable enterprises' resilience. Other benefits the Act guarantees include a Startup Act award providing grants. Startups will also benefit from training, promotion, and access to public contracts and international markets. According to Florence…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

France eyes Ivory Coast after Burkina Faso boots out French troops

NEWS

ANGE ABOA and THIAM NDIAGA FRANCE'S defence minister pledged to boost military support to Ivory Coast, as Paris adjusts its strategy in West Africa after neighbouring Burkina Faso ordered French troops to leave and vowed to curb a worsening Islamist insurgency solo. Burkina Faso said on Sunday that France's military operations on its soil had officially ended - marking the start of a new chapter in the Sahel region's battle with Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. The two jihadist groups have taken over swathes of land and displaced millions of people in Burkina, Mali and Niger. It is…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years for conspiring against government

NEWS

A court in Mali sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years imprisonment for conspiring against the government, and three others to death in absentia. Forty-nine Ivorian soldiers were arrested at the airport in Mali's capital Bamako in July, three of whom were later released. Their arrests led to a diplomatic dispute between the neighbouring countries and widespread condemnation from regional allies. Mali's ruling junta said the soldiers were acting as mercenaries, while Ivory Coast said they were part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. They were charged with attempting to undermine state security in August and convicted at…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Ivory Coast President Ouattara to meet predecessors in reconciliation drive

NEWS

LOUCOUMANE COULIBALY IVORY Coast President Alassane Ouattara will hold a rare meeting with his predecessors and longtime rivals Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie in an effort to reconcile the West African nation ahead of elections in 2025. The three men have dominated Ivory Coast's fractious political scene since the 1990s. Bedie was president from 1993 until his ouster in a 1999 coup. Gbagbo governed from 2000 until his election defeat to Ouattara in 2010. Tensions came to a head most dramatically after the 2010 election. Gbagbo refused to concede defeat, leading to a brief civil war that killed about…