The French minister, Franck Riester, took part last Friday in the Franco-Ivorian economic forum held at the General Confederation of Enterprises of Côte d'Ivoire (CGECI) where several agreements were signed. This is indeed a “New Deal” that should allow new levels to be reached. According to Jean-Marie Ackah, President of the General Confederation of Enterprises of Côte d'Ivoire Ivory (CGECI), this New Deal “should allow us to reach new levels, especially in terms of business relations between the private sectors of our respective countries.” This Ivorian-French forum, one of the first Business Meetings after the Paris Summit, should, through its density and results, serve as a successful example of our new common ambitions, of building lasting relationships between the French and African economies.

According to Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Commerce and Industry, the volume of trade between Côte d'Ivoire and France is estimated at 8%, which is greater than that of Ivory Coast with other countries. This ceremony was marked by the signing of new memoranda of understanding between Proparco and the financial institutions ADVANS-CI, ECOBANK-CI and Société Ivoirienne de Banque (SIB) to support Ivorian companies impacted by the health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These partnerships will in particular make it possible to deploy the Choose Africa Resilience guarantee set up to respond to the crisis. These partnerships include financing for MSMEs and risk-sharing facilities, in particular the Choose Africa Resilience portfolio guarantees offered by the AFD Group.