U.S.-CÔTE D’LVOIRE EXECUTIVE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center (USABC) is organizing an Executive Business Roundtable featuring H.E. Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, on the margins of President Biden’s U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022. The roundtable is being held on December 12, 2022, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C and will bring together U.S. Industry champions and government officials from the U.S. and Cote d’lvoire to discuss opportunities to strengthen trade and investment between the two nations.
Strategically located in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire offers access to a vast market of close to 400 million people from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. The country provides a variety of strategic opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure, transport, telecommunication, and banking. Côte d’Ivoire has adopted several legislative and regulatory frameworks, in line with regional and global best practices, to improve the ease of doing business. The investment code updated in 2018 provides a more conducive business environment and incentives for private sector investment. Moreover, the newly adopted National Development Plan (PND 2021 – 2025) highlights the priority areas of the government of Côte d’ivoire and offers strategic opportunities for the American business community According to the government, the PND 2021-2025 is designed to be an ambitious program to spark “the economic and social transformation necessary to help Côte d’Ivolre achleve the status of an upper-middle-income country by 2030”. The PND is leveraging the critical role of the private sector to finance 74% of the total cost of the plan estimated at FCFA 59 trillion (USD 102 billion).
As the world-largest business federation, the U.S. Chamber is committed to ensuring the U.S. private sector views Côte d’Ivoire as a favorable investment destination. The Chamber was pleased to collaborate with the government of Côte d’Ivoire to launch the U.S.-Côte d’Ivoire Investment Guide in March this year at the U.S. Chamber’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Moreover, the U.S. Chamber conducted a high-level trade delegation to Abidjan surrounding the Africa CEO Forum in June, where senior U.S. government officials and U.S. private sector leaders had the opportunity to meet with the Vice President and the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire to discuss how to strengthen business relations between the two countries, This Executive Roundtable with H.E. Prime Minister Patrick Achi builds on the momentum of these engagements and will highlight the priorities of his government with regard to economic diversification, industrial development, and job creation for the burgeoning youth of his country.
