On Wednesday March 04, 2020, a Council of Ministers was held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Palace of the Presidency of the Republic in Abidjan, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic, Head of State .

The agenda for this meeting included the following items:

A/-General Measures
− Bills and ordinances
− Draft decrees
B/-Individual Measurement
C/-Communications
D/-Miscellaneous

A/– GENERAL MEASURES

BILLS AND ORDINANCES

1- Under the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization

The Council adopted a draft order amending Articles 5, 15, 16 and 17 of Law No. 2019-708 of August 05, 2019 on the recomposition of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), as well as its ratification.

At the end of his discussions with various components of social life, the President of the Republic, concerned about the holding of elections in a peaceful climate, instructed the Government to make adjustments to the new law on CEI, and to allow the integration in this Commission, with a view to making it more inclusive, of another member in respect of the parties and political groups of the opposition, by the allocation of a seat to a party of the significant opposition in Parliament.

With the proposed modifications, the IEC will comprise sixteen (16) members for the Central Commission, compared to fifteen (15) currently.

Thus, the number of personalities proposed by the political parties or groups of the opposition goes from three (03) to four (04).

The number of members of each of the local Commissions also increases from seven (07) to eight (08) by the same process.

2- Under the Ministry to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Budget and the State Portfolio, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies;

The Council adopted an ordinance legalizing the tax and customs regime applicable to the evacuation network associated with the 390 MW Combined Cycle Thermal Power Plant, as well as its ratification bill.

In accordance with the legislation in force, in particular Law No. 2014-132 of March 14, 2014 on the Electricity Code, this order approves the specific tax and customs regime provided for the benefit of the company Côte d'Ivoire – Energies, with a view to to facilitate the construction of the evacuation network for the energy produced by the plant.

DRAFT DECREES


1- Under the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection;

The Council adopted a decree setting the operating methods of the social welfare schemes for self-employed workers.

Taken pursuant to Ordinance No. 2019-636 of July 17, 2019 establishing social welfare schemes for self-employed workers, this decree sets the rate of contributions intended to ensure the financing of the social welfare scheme for self-employed workers at 12%. the monthly fixed income declared by the member, including 9% of the declared monthly fixed income, for old-age risk and 3% for sickness, accident and maternity risks. The rate of social security contributions for the supplementary pension scheme for self-employed workers is set at 9% of the basis constituted by the difference between the worker's income and the ceiling income of the social welfare scheme for self-employed workers.

In addition, it specifies the terms and conditions for benefiting from the various benefits relating to these contributions due quarterly.

2- Under the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Budget and the State Portfolio;

The Council adopted a decree approving amendment No. 1 to the partnership contract for financing, rehabilitation with or without extension, construction, equipment, training in use and maintenance, upkeep, maintenance and renewal of biomedical equipment in the Regional Hospital Centers (CHR) of Daloa, Korhogo, Yamoussoukro, General Hospitals of Abobo-Nord, Abobo-Sud, Adjamé, Grand-Bassam, and Yopougon-Attié dated December 2, 2017 between the State of Côte d'Ivoire and MED AFRIQUE.

Initiated as part of the operationalization of Universal Health Coverage (CMU), the project, currently being implemented on all the sites concerned, involves major renovations accompanied by modernization of technical platforms and equipment, accompanied by a training and maintenance program over a period of almost a decade.

The addendum subject of this decree takes into account the significant technical and financial developments that occurred during the execution of the project to integrate certain additional needs.

3- Under the Ministry of Mines and Geology, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Budget and the State Portfolio;

The Board adopted a decree amending Articles 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 of Decree No. 2016-896 of November 09, 2016 granting a mining license for bauxite to the company "LAGUNE EXPLORATION AFRIQUE SA in the department of Bongouanou.

This decree redefines the different phases of exploitation of the said permit and reinforces the obligations incumbent on the beneficiary company in terms of certification of reserves and compliance with the obligations provided for by the regulations in force in the matter.

4- Under the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Budget and the State Portfolio;

The Council adopted two (02) decrees:

• a decree approving amendment no. 1 to the concession agreement for the construction of a 390 MW combined cycle thermal power plant (CIPREL 5) in Jacqueville;

• a decree approving amendment No. 4 to the Service Provision Agreement for the rental and operation of a 70 MW Thermal Power Plant.

These additional amendments to the various agreements mentioned above take into account the adjustments made in order to increase national electricity production capacities in order to meet internal electricity demand and to respect our country's commitments in terms of electricity exports. .

B/– INDIVIDUAL MEASUREMENT


Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

The Council gave its agreement for the appointment of Mr. Maurice Kouakou Bandama as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire to the French Republic, with residence in Paris.


C/– COMMUNICATIONS


1- Under the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization;

The Council adopted a communication on the results of the 2nd phase of the Political Dialogue.

In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister organized, from January 09 to February 17, 2020, the 2nd phase of the political dialogue. The work of this second phase of political consultation brought together all the actors, both those of political parties and groups and those of civil society organizations, around the electoral code.

During the work, a few points of divergence were observed, in particular on the proposals for restructuring the decision-making power of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), the limitation of the mandate of deputies and local elected officials, the financing, a priori, on public funds of the electoral campaign and the sanction of political transhumance.

However, the deliberations in plenary sessions for the validation of the final and closing report, held on February 5, 6 and 17, 2020, following the work in select high-level committees, made it possible to adopt four (04) points of agreement, to know :

− the introduction of sponsorship of the candidate for the presidential election, by 1% of voters in at least 50% of the Regions and Districts;
− raising the level of security for the presidential election to 50 million CFA francs;
− the reduction to 5% of the vote rate required for the reimbursement of the deposit;
− Taking measures to curb the transhumance of voters.
These various points of agreement were accompanied by several recommendations with a view to guaranteeing fair and transparent elections.

To this end, after examining the various grievances formulated by the opposition and civil society as well as the meeting of the President of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) with the Vice-President of the Republic and anxious to contribute more to the inclusiveness of the elections , the President of the Republic signed an ordinance amending the law on the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), with a view to allowing the allocation of a seat in this Commission to the opposition party whose representation in Parliament is the most significant.

Thus, the Central Commission of the CEI will be composed of sixteen (16) members instead of fifteen (15) including three (03) personalities proposed by the majority in power and (04) personalities proposed by the parties or political groups of the opposition.

In view of the foregoing, the President of the Republic is once again calling for peaceful elections.

2- Under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in conjunction with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Post;

The Council adopted a communication on the development of digital finance in Côte d'Ivoire.

Financial products and services of digital finance developed from the means of electronic transactions, in particular financial services via mobile telephony, have been growing since 2017. This expansion of digital finance in our country contrasts with the survival of approximately 44% of the adult population who, largely in rural areas, have never used either formal or informal financial services.

Also, to reverse this trend, the Government has decided, as part of the implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (SNIF), to focus its action on the digitization of financial flows with the effective operationalization of financial platforms. existing ones and the digitization of 80% of government financial flows. Access to and use of Unstructured Additional Services Data (USSD code) from mobile telephone operators will be open to other players in the financial sector with a view to reducing the costs of related services.
This digital opening will be accompanied by the interoperability of digital financial services in accordance with the regional financial inclusion strategy led by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), which provides for the establishment in 2020 of a regional platform for exchanges between all types of accounts.

3- Under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Post, in conjunction with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene;

The Council adopted a communication on the results of the National Campaign for the Measurement of Non-Ionizing Radiation (RNI) emitted by radioelectric equipment and installations (2018-2019).

The 2018-2019 RNI measurement campaign took place from December 2018 to March 2019 with the main objectives of assessing the level of exposure of populations to electromagnetic fields, verifying its compliance with standards, examining its evolution in relation to values previously obtained and, where applicable, to bring operators of radio equipment and installations to comply with their obligations in this regard.

The measurements were taken at 350 points spread over the thirteen (13) municipalities of the Autonomous District of Abidjan and 45 localities in the interior of the country. These measures have focused on sensitive places, including high-traffic areas, health centers, schools and religious centers.

Although a significant evolution of the field strengths has been observed, due to the increasing deployments of radioelectric stations for mobile telephony, it appears from this investigation that the values of the cumulated fields are lower than the maximum threshold of the most demanding service. Also, these values are lower than the maximum value of the cumulative electromagnetic fields measured during the previous campaigns and set as a reference threshold. Consequently, the field levels measured at the various identified points comply with the limit values for exposure to electromagnetic waves as prescribed by the regulations in force.

However, the Council instructed the Minister in charge of the Digital Economy and all the Ministers concerned to continue awareness-raising actions to bring the operators of radioelectric equipment and installations to strict compliance with their obligations in this area and to reassure populations about the measures taken to protect their health against the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation.

4- Under the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie, in conjunction with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Budget and the State Portfolio;

The Council adopted a communication relating to the organization of the 11th edition of the Abidjan Market for Performing Arts (MASA) in Abidjan.

The 11th edition of MASA will take place from March 7 to 14, 2020 simultaneously in Abobo, Koumassi, Treichville and Yopougon under the theme "Africa-world", in connection with the contribution of Africans to world culture.

Canada, a country historically recognized for its cultural diversity, is the main guest of MASA 2020, which also expects around 1,300 artists and professionals from five (05) continents.

The opening of this 11th edition will take place in the town of Abobo in the form of a large parade of 2,020 dancers and choreographers from all over the world, singing and dancing to launch an appeal for peace. It will also be marked by the opening of the Adama Toungara Museum of Contemporary Cultures in Abobo, which on this occasion will host the traveling exhibition "Lend me your dream" on March 11, 2020.

5- Under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in liaison with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Women, Family and Children, the Ministry of Promotion of SMEs and the State Secretariat to the Minister for Women, Family and Children, in charge of Women's Empowerment;

The Council adopted a communication relating to the organization of the High Level Dialogue of the "She Trades - West Africa" project, on April 16, 2020 in Abidjan.

The “She Trades” initiative is a financial and technical support program of the International Trade Centre, which offers women entrepreneurs around the world a network and a platform allowing them to better access international markets.

In West Africa, specifically in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone where it will be implemented over a period of four (04) years, the program aims to improve the living conditions of approximately 10,000 women entrepreneurs, operating in the cashew, shea and cassava sectors, through increasing their participation in agricultural value chains, increasing their incomes, strengthening their technical capacities and dealing with issues related to gender dynamics.

The high-level dialogue scheduled for April 16, 2020, in the presence of the Ministers of Commerce of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, will serve as a platform for exchanges between political decision-makers and actors in the project's intervention sectors to better achievement of the objectives set.

D- MISCELLANEOUS

1-In respect of the Presidency of the Republic

An extraordinary Council of Ministers will be held on Friday March 6, 2020 at the Palace of the Presidency of the Republic in Abidjan.

2- Under the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene;

The Council adopted a communication on the situation update on the fight against Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, which occurred in China in December 2019, has spread to around thirty countries and has caused more than 83,000 patients and 2,867 deaths on February 28, 2020, with a considerable socio-economic impact.

After China, two (02) other epidemic outbreaks were declared in South Korea and Italy, and a case was detected in Nigeria on February 28, 2020, thus increasing the risk of the disease spreading in Côte d'Ivoire.

Faced with this situation, the Government, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), has put in place a response plan based on epidemiological and biological surveillance, prevention and care for possible patients. .

As part of the implementation of this plan, the following actions have been carried out or are carried out regularly:

− the weekly meeting of the monitoring committee chaired by the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, and composed of members of the National Institute of Public Hygiene (INHP), the Pasteur Institute of Côte d'Ivoire ( IPCI), the Emergency Medical Aid Service (SAMU) and the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Service (SMIT) of the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Treichville, to provide strategic guidance on the fight against this disease;

− the activation of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (COUSP) for the operational coordination of interventions in the field;

− strengthening health control at airports, ports and land borders;

− the training of rapid intervention teams in the health districts for the investigation of cases and the verification of alerts;

− the dissemination of guidelines on the surveillance of COVID-19 for the attention of health personnel;

− strengthening the diagnostic capacities of the Institut Pasteur in Côte d'Ivoire;

− the assignment of a SAMU ambulance dedicated to the Coronavirus for the transport of any cases;

− the development of five (05) rooms in the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases of the University Hospital of Treichville for the isolation and treatment of possible patients;

− information and sensitization of populations on compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures;

− the training of the personnel of the green lines 143 and 101.

Also, the financing of the various components of the plan is almost completed to ensure optimal response capacities of Côte d'Ivoire in the face of the Coronavirus epidemic.

Done in Abidjan, March 04, 2020
Sidi Tiémoko TOURE
Minister of Communication and Media, Government Spokesperson