Home Communiqués des ministres COMMUNIQUE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF WEDNESDAY 04 JUNE 2025

COMMUNIQUE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF WEDNESDAY 04 JUNE 2025

On Wednesday 04 June 2025, a Council of Ministers was held from 11:00 to 14:15, at the Palais de la Présidence de la République in Abidjan, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic, Head of State.

The deliberations of the Council focused on the following points:

A/-General measures,

B/-Individual measures

C/-Communications

D/-Miscellaneous

A/- GENERAL MEASURES

DRAFT DECREES

The Council adopted a decree on the creation, remit, organisation and operation of the National Energy Pact Monitoring and Evaluation Committee.

In addition to the significant progress made in recent years in the production and supply of electricity, the Government’s ambition is to achieve 100% coverage by 2030. With this in mind, and in response to the “Mission 300” initiative of the World Bank and the African Development Bank, to which our country has subscribed, the Government has drawn up a National Energy Pact, with a view to meeting the full economic and social growth in prospect, and providing everyone with access to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy.

To this end, the National Energy Pact Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, placed under the authority of the Minister for the Economy, Planning and Development, is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the activities, projects, programmes and indicators identified in the National Energy Pact.

The Council adopted a decree granting an exploration licence, valid for gold, to the company “CENTAMIN CÔTE D’IVOIRE SARL” in the departments of Kani and Séguéla.

This exploration licence is issued in accordance with the required technical and environmental conditions. It is valid for four (04) years.

The Council adopted a decree ratifying the Agreement relating to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and concerning the conservation and sustainable use of the marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The Agreement was signed by the Vice-President of the Republic at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on marine biodiversity, held in September 2024 in the United States of America.

It provides for measures for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, including the creation of marine protected areas in zones beyond national jurisdiction, and the carrying out of environmental impact assessments for all new human activities in the zones concerned.

Ratification of this agreement will enable our country to act in synergy with the other signatory states to preserve the marine environment and the planet’s marine resources in the long term.

The Council adopted a decree ratifying the Loan Agreement for a total amount of one hundred and three million three hundred thousand (103,300,000) Euros, i.e. sixty-seven billion seven hundred and sixty million three hundred and fifty-eight thousand one hundred (67,760,358,100) CFA Francs, divided into a tranche A credit (N°7708-CI) for an amount of 3,100,000 Euros and a tranche B credit (N°7694) for an amount of 100,200,000 Euros, concluded on 13 March 2025, between the International Development Association (IDA) and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, for the financing of the WAPP-Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire interconnection project, Phase 1(b) of the regional electricity market programme in West Africa within the framework of a MULTIPHASE programmatic approach.

The project aims to increase electricity exchanges between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, and to improve the electricity network and the functioning of the West African Power Exchange System market.

It provides for the construction of infrastructure resilient to the effects of climate change between the Dunkwa II substation in the central region of Ghana and the Bingerville substation in the Autonomous District of Abidjan. The planned electrical infrastructure includes a high-voltage cross-border transmission line, with remote control and fibre-optic transmission equipment.

The Council adopted a decree ratifying Financing Contract No (FI) 91863 for a total amount of one hundred and fifty million (150 000 000) Euros, i.e. ninety-eight billion three hundred and ninety-three million five hundred and fifty thousand (98 393 550 000) CFA francs, signed on 11 November 2024, between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, to finance the sustainable forest restoration programme.

The aim of the programme is to support ongoing initiatives to protect and preserve classified forests and degraded rural forests.

More specifically, the funding under the agreement will be used to reforest around 140,000 hectares of classified forests and rural forests.

The Council adopted a decree ratifying Financing Contract No (FI) 97902 for a total amount of fifty million (50 000 000) Euros, or thirty-two billion seven hundred and ninety-seven million eight hundred and fifty thousand (32 797 850 000) CFA francs, concluded on 27 December 2024, between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, to finance the increase in Côte d’Ivoire’s contribution to the capital of the Assurance pour le Développement du Commerce et de l’Investissement en Afrique (ATIDI).

This financing will enable our country to increase its capital contribution to ATIDI. On completion of the transaction, Côte d’Ivoire will become the largest shareholder in this African insurance agency, and will be able to benefit from the expansion of its range of insurance solutions against payment default for businesses, investors and lenders.

Overall, this transaction aims to increase international trade transactions and domestic and foreign investment in Côte d’Ivoire, with a focus on the private sector.

The Council adopted a decree declaring the site of the GARDEN CENTER pumping station to be in the public interest, covering an area of 02 ha 09 a 97 ca located at 220 logements, in the commune of Adjamé.

As part of the Programme d’Aménagement et de Gestion Intégrée du Bassin Versant du Gourou (development and integrated management programme for the Gourou watershed), the Garden Center site has been identified as a site for a pumping station, a pyrolysis waste recovery unit and a unit to recover canal cleaning products.

Given the strategic interest of this project in preserving public health in the Autonomous District of Abidjan, this decree transfers the Garden Center site to State ownership.

As a result, holders of definitive title to the site, or their assignees, will receive compensation in accordance with the regulations in force.

The Council adopted a decree on the creation, remit, organisation and operation of the Côte d’Ivoire Space Agency (ASCI) and a related communication.

ASCI is a scientific and technological public administrative establishment set up for the exploitation and peaceful use of space. The agency is responsible for strengthening national capacities and setting up infrastructures in the space sector.

The scope of its activities covers the essential pillars of space applications, namely earth observation, space meteorology, astronomy, space exploration and satellite navigation and communication, with a view to responding effectively to the challenges of the country’s economic development, securing the national territory and protecting the environment.

The Council adopted a decree instituting an Order of Merit for Solidarity.

The Council has adopted a decree on the organisation of the Order of Cultural Merit.

Several decades after the creation of these two honorary orders, these decrees reorganise them with a view to breathing new life into them, in line with current socio-cultural and political developments. For the Order of Cultural Merit, which was created more than forty-five (45) years ago, the aim is to adapt its organisation to the new cultural context, characterised by new forms of cultural expression and emerging arts.

As a result, the procedures for awarding the various honours concerned and the operating methods of the two honorary orders have been reorganised, so as to strengthen their credibility and guarantee their effectiveness. In addition, the normal annual quotas for the various grades have been increased, in order to increase the number of recipients of these awards.

B/- INDIVIDUAL MEASURES

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Living Abroad;

The Council approved the appointment of three (03) Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire:

C/- COMMUNICATIONS

The Council adopted a communication on Côte d’Ivoire’s initial report to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

As part of its drive to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights, in September 2023 Côte d’Ivoire acceded to the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

In accordance with the Convention’s guidelines, Côte d’Ivoire’s initial report was drawn up with the participation of representatives of the various parties involved in implementing the Convention. This first report to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families presents information on the various legislative, administrative and judicial measures taken by the country to implement the Convention.

It also details the main activities carried out by the government, the National Council for Human Rights and civil society organisations for the benefit of migrant workers and members of their families.

The Council adopted a communication on the negotiation of oil contracts with Petróleo Brasileiro SA (PETROBRAS) on oil blocks CI-513, CI-600, CI-601, CI-602, CI-603, CI-605, CI-700, CI-701 and CI-702.

These various oil blocks are located in the western part of the national sedimentary basin, mostly in deep waters.

The Board agreed to the negotiation of oil contracts with PETROBRAS, which is showing great interest in the above-mentioned blocks, following the Government’s recent campaigns to promote the Ivorian sedimentary basin in the United States of America.

The arrival of PETROBRAS on the Ivorian hydrocarbon scene, with its recognised experience in deepwater oil operations, will help to further develop the western margin of the country’s sedimentary basin, which is still under-exploited.

The Council adopted a communication on the presentation of the preliminary results of the national survey on the nutritional situation using the smart methodology in the 14 administrative districts of Côte d’Ivoire.

The SMART nutrition survey is a standardised and rigorous approach adopted by the Government to evaluate national nutrition policies and adjust interventions to combat malnutrition in the National Health Development Plan. The survey was carried out from 06 January to 23 February 2025, in the country’s 14 districts.

The results of the SMART-CIV-2025 survey highlight the progress made, but also the persistent challenges in terms of nutrition. In particular, they show a relative decline in undernutrition, with disparities between regions.

The Council instructed the Minister for Health and all the Ministers concerned to take appropriate measures to speed up implementation of the National Multisectoral Nutrition Plan 2024-2027, with a view to improving the health and nutrition of mothers and children in a sustainable manner.

D- MISCELLANEOUS

The next Council of Ministers meeting will be held on Wednesday 18 June 2025 in Abidjan.

Abidjan, Wednesday 04 June 2025
Mr Amadou COULIBALY

Minister of Communication,

Government Spokesman