Theme: “Corporate Social Responsibility for a United Côte d’Ivoire: What Partnership Between the State and the Private Sector?” Monday, November 6, 2023, at Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire.

The Minister of Finance and Budget, Adama Coulibaly, representing the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Minister of Sports and Living Environment, Robert Beugré Mambé, chaired the opening ceremony of these proceedings. This was in the presence of the Minister of State, Minister of Public Service and Administrative Modernization, Anne Désirée Ouloto, the Minister for the Promotion of the Private Sector of Congo, as well as representatives of private sector umbrella organizations.

This sixth edition is being held in a context where Côte d’Ivoire has managed to maintain the growth trajectory of its economy, with an average rate of around 7% since 2021, despite an international environment marked in particular by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, tighter financing conditions, and inflationary pressures.

In addition to the reforms undertaken to improve the business climate in Côte d’Ivoire, the aim is to facilitate SMEs’ access to public procurement, the Economic Program for Innovation and Business Transformation, as well as tax relief measures. Minister Adama Coulibaly emphasized that “the Government’s support for the development of the private sector is substantial and will be strengthened through continued dialogue within the State/Private Sector Consultation Committee, as the challenges for inclusive growth driven by the private sector remain significant. Among these, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals occupies a prominent place.” In his capacity as Chairman of the State/Private Sector Consultation Committee (CCESP), he commended the efforts of committed companies that integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into their policies through sustainability actions linked to their sectors of activity, patronage initiatives, and above all CSR practices that include vulnerable populations in their business models.

For his part, Mr. Jérôme Ehui, President of the Association of Banking and Financial Institution Professionals of Côte d’Ivoire (APBEFCI), speaking on behalf of the President of the General Confederation of Enterprises of Côte d’Ivoire (CGECI), stated that CGECI, aware of all these CSR-related challenges, has undertaken training and awareness-raising activities on themes related to sustainable development. CSR, he noted, is a powerful lever for business performance.

On this first day of the JNP, eight personalities were honored for their involvement in revitalizing State/Private Sector dialogue. They included former Ministers of Economy and Finance, namely Ms. Kaba Nialé and Mr. Adama Koné, the former President of CGECI, Mr. Jean Marie Aka, and the Chief Executive Officer of Versus Bank, Mr. Guy Koizan. They respectively received their special JNP awards from Minister Adama Coulibaly.

Source:
SERCOM MFB