AMCHAM-CI MEMBERS BREAKFAST WITH US AMBASSADOR

In Abidjan on March 8, 2023, members of AmCham-CI were invited to a breakfast with the new U.S. Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire Mrs. Jessica Davis BA.

This meeting is part of the dialogue initiated by Mrs. Jessica Davis Ba to review the forces that will collaborate with her during her mandate. 

She considered that AmCham was an important component in the implementation of her vision. 
Through AmCham, the Ambassador wanted to interact with the American companies in Cote d’Ivoire and to know their difficulties and their hopes.

The companies presented their challenges to the new ambassador who reiterated her interest in involving American companies and the embassy more in the economic relationship between the United States and Côte d’Ivoire. 
Jessica Davis BA stated her interest in telling the U.S. story through prosperity, people and peace. The Ambassador also indicated a plan to create an economic deal team within the U.S. Embassy.

During his address, AmCham President Yohannes Mekbebe requested that the offices of USTDA, USDA and DFC be installed in Cote d’Ivoire. Cote d’Ivoire is the HUB of the sub-region and has the potential to host these institutions. He also took the opportunity to unfold the projects of 2023 such as: the Townhall, the US business Forum, the golf tournament…

Finally, the president renewed AmCham’s full commitment to work closely with the embassy to develop economic relations between the United State and Cote d’Ivoire.

On June 8, 2022, Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and was sworn in on December 23, 2022. 

Previously, she served as Senior Coordinator for National Security Affairs and Special Advisor for Africa in the Office of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ambassador Davis Ba is a longtime career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Counselor, and has led the U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena, Chad, as Chargé affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the African Union and as Deputy Permanent
Representative of the United States to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Davis Ba taught at Georgetown University. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and conducted doctoral research at the Annenberg School of Communication on technology, globalization and development in Africa.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Côte d’Ivoire welcomes Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba and pledges its commitment to her mission.