Ivorian embassies mobilized 1123 billion FCFA in 2020 against 896 billion in 2019. This is one of the main information delivered during the seminar, on their contribution to the mobilization of external financing for the implementation of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, held on June 28 and 29, 2021 in Abidjan.

As for the investments made by these diplomatic representations, they amount to more than 244 billion FCFA for the time interval between April and June. “In addition to these investments, there is the Memorandum of Understanding for the Development of Projects between the British and American companies Clifton Africa, Tilgent Pay and the Ministry of Construction and Urban Planning as well as the BHCI for the construction of 10,000 housing units. in the areas of Songon and Grand Bassam,” says His Excellency Jean-Marie Somet, Director of Economic Diplomacy.

For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and the Diaspora, this consultation should make it possible to adopt a strategy for mobilizing external financing by the diplomatic representations of Côte d'Ivoire. And this, in coherence with the orientations of the government registered in the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and in synergy with the departments concerned and the state actors.

"In view of the encouraging financial results achieved over the past two years by our embassies, it is important to strengthen the positioning of economic diplomacy, which is high on the list of priorities, to also improve the local processing rate of our agricultural products", explains His Excellency. Excellency Kandia Kamissoko Camara, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and the Diaspora.

“Beyond the mobilization of resources for the financing of the PND, it will also be a question of promoting the brand image of the country abroad. This involves, among other things, the promotion of the best Ivorian executives in international decision-making bodies, which themselves will have to promote the integration of other proven skills,” says Kaba Nialé, Minister of Planning and Development.

In this new mission assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and the Diaspora, through the Department of Economic Diplomacy, Côte d'Ivoire can count on the support of its development partners, in particular the UNDP.

With a presence in nearly 170 countries around the world, the UN organization says it is ready to work for the establishment of a center of resources in economic watch and strategic intelligence, covering all the field required for an Ivorian diplomacy favorable to the sustainable inclusive development.

LAWANI Babatunde