Côte d’Ivoire establishes export council to manage its National Export Strategy

A National Export Council has been established by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to manage and monitor the country’s soon to be launched National Export Strategy (NES).

‘The creation of this institution translates the willingness of the Government to increase Ivorian export volumes in order to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by regional and international markets,’* according to the official communiqué announcing the presidential decree adopted in June this year.

The establishment of a legally recognized public-private consultative platform indicates the government’s commitment to the NES, which has been developed with the technical assistance of the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the Trade Support and Regional Integration Programme for Côte d’Ivoire (PACIR) as part of efforts to support the country’s integration of regional and international trade. PACIR is funded by the European Union.

‘The Council sends a strong signal to enterprises and development partners that the Ivoirian NES is more than a document, that it will serve as the reference roadmap for export development and competitiveness to boost growth in line with its aim to become an emerging-market economy by 2020,’ said Anton Said, Chief of ITC’s Export Strategy section.

ITC has been providing technical assistance for Côte d’Ivoire’s NES since 2013. Priority sectors were identified against criteria agreed on by public and private-sector representatives and endorsed by the Council of Ministers. The sectors are rubber, cashew, cotton-to-clothing, tropical fruits, cassava, and information and communications technology. The cross-sector functional strategies selected include trade information and promotion; access to finance; packaging and quality management; export-related capacity-building; and trade facilitation and logistics.

It is expected that Côte d’Ivoire’s NES will be formally launched before the end of the year.

*Original French text of communiqué: ‘La création de cette institution traduit la volonté du Gouvernement d’accroître le volume des exportations ivoiriennes afin de tirer le meilleur profit des opportunités offertes par les marchés régionaux et internationaux.’