THE WORLD CÔTE D’ IVOIRE
This Forum was an exceptional opportunity for the Japanese business community to have a better understanding of the West African region and further identify areas of investments. Can you please tell us about the Côte d’ Ivoire-Japan relationship today and what are the main challenges to overcome in order to increase partnerships with Japan?
FACT
Formerly known as the Ivory Coast, this West Africa country officially uses its French name, Côte d’ Ivoire. The geography ranges from coastal beaches and forests in the south to a savanna plateau in the north. The country has 60 ethnic groups; the Baoule, inhabiting the central region, is the largest group.
Japan and Côte d’ Ivoire enjoy excellent relations since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries after gaining independence in 1960. Since then, Japan has consistently been supporting Côte d’ Ivoire in its development efforts.
Our relations with Japan are excellent, but the volume of trade between our two countries remain low, despite the enormous potentials. Therefore, I keep inviting Japanese businessmen to come to Côte d’ Ivoire to discover the wealth of opportunities in terms of investment, through public-private partnership. There are already some Japanese Companies present in Côte d’ Ivoire, such as Ajinomoto, Itochu, Mitsubishi Corporation, Marubeni, Toyota Tsusho Corporation that we are very proud of and thankful for. Yet I hope that the number of Japanese companies will increase in the near future.
The forum also provided an opportunity to promote the tourism of Côte d’ Ivoire.
We have a variety of places that we have been strongly promoting, such as:
01. The Basilica Notre Dame de la Paix of Yamoussoukro, the biggest Catholic church in the world.
02. The historic City of Grand-Bassam, the first capital of Côte d’ Ivoire, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.
03. The weavers of Tiébissou, in the centre of the country.
04. The mosque of Kong, in the northern part of Côte d’ Ivoire, built before 1741.
Regarding the challenges to overcome, I would like to cite two cases with their practical solutions.
The first one is distance. As some Japanese may think that Côte d’ Ivoire is far from Japan. However, Côte d’ Ivoire is not far. Four airlines serve Côte d’ Ivoire from Japan, namely Ethiopian Airline via Addis Ababa, Air France via Paris, Emirates Airlines via Dubai and Turkish Airlines via Istanbul.
The other challenge is the language barrier. French is the official language in Côte d’ Ivoire but many local people can speak English. Furthermore, most of those who have studied in Japan speak fluent Japanese. Some of them who have returned home could serve as local staff for Japanese companies that plan to set up or to do business in Côte d’ Ivoire.
In addition, more information on economic potential and the business environment in Côte d’ Ivoire is available at the Abidjan offices of JETRO and JICA as well as the Embassy of Côte d’ Ivoire in Japan.
Excellency, in September 2015, Côte d’ Ivoire was celebrating its 55th anniversary of independence in Japan, which was a chance to understand that the relationship between Japan and Côte d’ Ivoire is strengthening on many levels. What are your objectives and expectations for 2016?
I would like to take advantage of this interview to express my appreciation to all the guests that joined us to celebrate, in particular to the following distinguished personalities:
Hon. Yasutoshi NISHIMURA State Minister of the Prime Minister’ s Cabinet office.
Hon. Hidemichi SATO Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Hon. Ichiro AISAWA Chairman of Japan-AU Parliamentary Friendship Association.
Hon. Daishiro YAMAGIWA Former State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Hon. Asahiko MIHARA Secretary-General of Japan-AU Parliamentary Friendship Association.
Hon. Tetsuro YANO President of AFRECO.
I would like to extend my apologies to all those who I have not mentioned.
ECONOMY
Industry: Foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly.
Agriculture: Coffee, cocoa, bananas, palm kernels; timber.
Exports: Cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton.
In terms of objectives, I can say that the main one is to further strengthen the good relations of friendship and cooperation in various fields between Côte d’ Ivoire and Japan.
An example of this willingness is the creation of the Japan-Côte d’ Ivoire Friendship Association on October 23rd 2015, which was officially launched on November 13th, 2015.
This association, which I called for, since I took up my duties in September 2011, is composed of the leaders of major Japanese industrial and commercial Companies operating in Côte d’ Ivoire or having a project there, as well as all Japanese who have an interest in any sector in Côte d’ Ivoire.
Moreover, I would like to welcome the African Business Education Initiative for Youth( ABE Initiative), which aims to support young personnel with potential to contribute to the industrial development of Africa. As we know, the expected outcome of the program is to create a network of potential contributors to the development of African industries who will also lead Japanese businesses to engage further in economic activities in Africa.
I thank JICA and all people involved in this initiative for selecting Ivorian participants and I hope that more applicants from Côte d’ Ivoire will succeed the next selection.
I think that the ABE Initiative will give stronger guaranties to Japanese companies that plan to set up businesses in Africa.
JAPAN AND THE WORLD MAGAZINE JANUARY 2016 // 80