The members of the Ivorian government held their ordinary Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, under the direction of President Alassane Ouattara. Many topics were on the agenda of this meeting. Below is a full report of the decisions made.
On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, a Council of Ministers was held from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm, at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan, under the leadership of His Excellency Mr. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic, Head of State.
The agenda for this meeting included the following items:
A/- General Measures
- Draft laws
- Draft decrees
B/- Individual Measures
C/- Communications
A/– GENERAL MEASURES
BILLS
1- Under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights;
The Council has adopted four (04) bills related to the penal system:
• A bill amending Law No. 2019-574 of 26 June 2019 on the Penal Code;
• A bill amending Law No. 2018-975 of 27 December 2018 on the Code of Criminal Procedure;
• A bill amending Law No. 2015-493 of 07 July 2015 on the repression of terrorism;
• A bill relating to judicial assistance in criminal matters.
In recent years, the State has adopted several legal instruments in the fields of the fight against cybercrime, corruption, and related offenses, terrorism, money laundering, and the illicit trafficking and use of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and poisonous substances.
Furthermore, the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure have undergone total reforms, providing the country with repression mechanisms adapted to criminal activities connected with technological advances.
The amendments brought about by these various bills aim to improve and strengthen this repressive framework, to sustainably fight against the various manifestations of organized crime. They introduce innovative mechanisms such as special seizure measures and special investigative techniques, provide a unique and extensive definition of terrorism with custodial sentences up to life imprisonment, and initiate a profound reform of judicial assistance.
2- Under the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage;
The Council has adopted a bill establishing a medical ethics code.
This project for a new medical ethics code takes into consideration the new responsibilities of practitioners in light of scientific and technological progress. It also incorporates the new community provisions of the ECOWAS area adopted in 2012 for the harmonization of medical ethics. As such, it provides major innovations regarding the rights and obligations of members of the medical profession both in peacetime and in armed conflict.
DECREES PROJECTS
1- Under the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and Budget and the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition;
The Council has adopted two (02) decrees related to mineral exploration:
• a decree awarding a research permit, valid for gold, to the company “West Africa Mineral Resources Côte d’Ivoire Sarl” in the Department of Abengourou;
- A decree granting a research permit, valid for gold, to the company “West Africa Mineral Resources Côte d’Ivoire Sarl” in the Department of Abengourou.
These research permits are issued for a validity period of four (4) years, in accordance with the required technical and environmental conditions.
2- On behalf of the Ministry of Finance and Budget, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Ministry of Interior and Security;
The Council adopted a decree for the application of ordinance n°2022-237 of March 30, 2022, concerning the regime of administrative sanctions applicable in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the organization of the control of the obligated parties.
This decree determines the control authorities in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (AML/CFT/WMD), specifies their responsibilities as well as the practical organization of the conduct of controls. It also specifies the modalities for the sectoral risk assessment and the financing methods for the sectoral risk assessment activities in AML/CFT/WMD.
Furthermore, it organizes the operation of the National Sanctions Commission (NSC-AML/CFT), which is responsible for applying the sanctions provided for by the aforementioned ordinance n°2022-237 of March 30, 2022, to the obligated parties and control authorities.
3- Under the Ministry of Finance and Budget, in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage, State Portfolio, and Public Enterprises, the Council has adopted a decree authorizing a partial asset transfer operation concerning the autonomous branch made up of the banking activities of Banque Populaire de Côte d’Ivoire (BPCI), in favor of AFG Bank Côte d’Ivoire and the sale of shares to be issued on behalf of Banque Populaire de Côte d’Ivoire in the context of the aforementioned partial asset transfer operation, to Atlantic Financial Group SA.
This operation is part of the restructuring and recapitalization plan of the former CNCE, which became Banque Populaire de Côte d’Ivoire. In the end, this operation will balance the BPCI’s balance sheet and transfer its liabilities and revalued assets into the balance sheet of AFG Bank Côte d’Ivoire, creating additional value of 35.6 billion FCFA for the State.
4- Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Ivorians Abroad, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights;
The Council has adopted two (02) ratification decrees:
• The first decree ratifies the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition against Terrorism, adopted on May 16, 2008, in Rabat, Morocco.
This convention signifies the joint commitment of Francophone African countries to combat terrorism and implement all United Nations resolutions related to the eradication of international terrorism.
The convention, once ratified, will enable our country, in synergy with the other signatory states, to effectively combat terrorist acts as well as all methods and practices related to terrorism.
- The second decree concerns the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, adopted on December 15, 1989, in New York.
From the Constitution of 2000 to the current one dated November 8, 2016, the national penal legislation of Ivory Coast does not reference the death penalty. The Ivoirian legislation is in complete coherence with this United Nations convention, aiming to abolish the death penalty.
Accordingly, the ratification of this second protocol related to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights reaffirms our country’s firm commitment to the promotion of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights.
5- Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport;
The Council has adopted a decree ratifying the Maritime Labour Convention of 2006.
This convention consolidates into a single legal instrument the core provisions that encompass the fundamental rights of seafarers, contained in thirty-seven International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and various other international instruments applicable to maritime labor.
It specifically provides for the minimum requirements to work as a seafarer, as well as the working conditions on board ships, and organizes an inspection system designed to verify and ensure the implementation, on board ships, of the obligations of shipowners and States.
The ratification of this convention will help strengthen the rights of sailors navigating on Ivorian ships and enhance the national flag.
6- Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage;
The Council has adopted a decree ratifying the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency, adopted on February 11, 2019, in Addis Ababa.
This convention aims to harmonize the regulatory systems of medical products in Africa, in order to eradicate the proliferation of falsified and substandard pharmaceutical products.
The accession of Ivory Coast to this convention will improve the regulatory capacities of our country and guarantee access to quality medical products without risk and at reduced costs.
7- Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad, in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and Budget and the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Urbanism;
The Council has adopted a decree ratifying the Loan Agreement No. 2023025/PR CI 2023 29 00, for a total amount of forty billion (40,000,000,000) CFA francs, concluded on November 9, 2023, between the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the Republic of Ivory Coast, for the partial financing of the project to construct 4,300 social and economic housing units in Ivory Coast – phase 1 of 1,160 units in Abidjan PK24.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the living environment and the reduction of poverty in Abidjan and the interior of the country. More specifically, it aims to provide vulnerable and low-income populations with decent housing at affordable costs and to promote job creation in the construction sector.
B/– INDIVIDUAL MEASURES
Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad;
The Council adopted two (2) decrees appointing two (2) Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ivory Coast.
Thus, the following appointments are made:
- Mr. Lamine OUATTARA, Ambassador, 2nd scale, Registration number 225 412-Q, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ivory Coast to the Kingdom of Morocco, residing in Rabat;
- Ms. Nogozene BAKAYOKO, Ambassador, 3rd scale, Registration number 303.643-N, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ivory Coast to the Italian Republic, residing in Rome.
Moreover, the Council has given its consent to the appointment of Ms. Hélène N’GARNIM-GANGA as Resident Coordinator of the operational activities for development of the United Nations system in Ivory Coast.
C/– COMMUNICATIONS
1- On behalf of the Prime Minister;
The Council has adopted two (2) communications on government activity:
- The first communication concerns the assessment of the implementation of the roadmap activities at the end of 2023.
The Government’s 2023 roadmap involved 1129 activities, including 833 activities related to major projects and 296 activities related to major reforms in various sectors. These activities include more than 150 construction projects, 70 rehabilitation projects, 30 tarring projects, 30 major projects aimed directly at young people, and 60 projects focused on capacity building and training.
By the end of 2023, 793 activities and 287 reforms were either fully or partially implemented according to the established schedule, leading to an overall physical execution rate of 69.8%, with 72.2% for projects and 62.7% for reforms.
The commitment rate of expenditures related to the reforms and projects of the Roadmap across all technical Ministries stands at 73.9% at the end of 2023.
- The second communication concerns the Government’s 2024 roadmap.
For the year 2024, the Government intends to continue and accelerate the implementation of the planned actions to achieve the objectives of the 2021-2025 National Development Plan (NDP) for the benefit of the population. To this end, focus will be on completing priority and structural projects, including the 4th bridge linking the communes of Yopougon and Plateau, the first section (26 km long) of the Abidjan bypass (Y4), as well as the eastern and western exit highways from Abidjan and the hydroelectric dams of Gribo Popoli and Singrobo-Ahouaty.
The Government also plans to continue its efforts to mobilize domestic resources with the enhancement of the collection of service revenues, to fund various programs. Moreover, institutionalizing the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), revising measures to combat human trafficking, and accelerating the operationalization of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) reform will also be a priority to ensure the effective delivery of healthcare services.
Thus, the Government’s 2024 roadmap comprises about 150 groups of reforms and 600 activities related to major projects, of which approximately 240 projects are to be finalized in 2024, 215 projects will continue beyond 2024, and 145 projects are scheduled to be launched in the year 2024.
2- Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Ivorians Abroad, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage;
The Council has adopted a communication on the promotion of the candidacy of the Director of Strategic Health Operations at the WHO for the position of the WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The WHO Africa Region will hold elections for the new Regional Director in 2024, during the 74th session of the Regional Committee scheduled to take place in Brazzaville, Congo, from August 26 to 30, 2024.
Also, as part of the Strategy to Promote Ivorian Nationals in International Organizations initiated by the Government, the Council has decided to endorse and promote the candidacy of compatriot N’Da Konan Michel Yao, Doctor of Medicine specialized in disaster and emergency medicine, for this position.
3- On behalf of the Ministry of Youth Promotion, Professional Integration, and Civic Service.
The Council adopted a communication on the progress report of the Government’s Youth Program (PJGOUV) 2023-2025 as of December 31, 2023.
On December 31, 2022, in his message to the Nation, the President of the Republic decided to make 2023 “The Year of Youth.” Thus, the Government implemented the Government’s Youth Program (PJGOUV) 2023-2025, estimated at 1,118 billion CFA francs, with three (03) major focuses: accelerating training, professional integration, and the promotion of entrepreneurship among youth, strengthening the civic engagement and social ethics of youth, and improving the living and well-being conditions for young people.
As of December 31, 2023, the initiatives undertaken within the PJGOUV framework have directly impacted 1.1 million young people, raised the awareness of 8.2 million young people against social plagues, and constructed or rehabilitated 112 youth training and infrastructure facilities.
The total investment for these accomplishments amounted to 535.8 billion CFA francs, including 360.5 billion CFA francs for construction or rehabilitation of infrastructures, 173 billion CFA francs for direct youth employment and autonomy support initiatives, and 2.4 billion CFA francs for youth awareness actions.
D- OTHER MATTERS
– The Vice President of the Republic will represent the President of the Republic at the 37th Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), from February 10 to 18, 2024, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
– The next Council of Ministers will take place on February 28, 2024, in Abidjan.
Done at Abidjan, on February 14, 2024
Mr. Amadou COULIBALY
Minister of Communication,
Spokesperson for the Government
