Embassy of India

ABIDJAN - COTE D'IVOIRE

Minister of Commerce and Industry Monsieur Souleymane Diarrasouba,

Monsieur Faman Toure President Ivoirian Chamber of Commerce

Mr Raja Chandra Sekharan, President Indian Chamber of Commerce in Cote d’Ivoire, Entrepreneurs from Cote d’Ivoire and India.

 

Namaskar, Good morning, Bonjour & Akwaba,

 

At the outset let me take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Commerce and Industry His Excellency, Monsieur Souleymane Diarrasouba for his August presence. Thank you, Excellency, for your great support. I thank Mr Faman Toure, President of Ivoirian Chamber of Commerce and Mr Raja Chandra Sekharan President Indian Chamber of Commerce in Cote d’Ivoire for their cooperation for organizing this event.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a matter of great satisfaction to note that there is a growing interest among the business communities of India and Cote d'Ivoire to deepen and widen our bilateral trade and investment ties. The presence of so many companies from India and cote d'Ivoire here today is a testimony of this interest for establishing friendship and partnerships with each other. I am not a businessman but I can tell you one thing, if friendship is built and developed business would automatically follow.

 

India and Cote d’Ivoire enjoy excellent relations be it in political, business & commerce and above all people to people contacts. Both India and Cote d'Ivoire are undertaking unprecedented reforms to build conducive business environment, ease to do business and attract investments. Both economies are growing at the healthy rate spawning out huge opportunities for cooperation. Annual bilateral trade between India and Cote d’Ivoire has now crossed USD 1 billion and there is increasing number of Indian companies investing in Cote d’Ivoire.

 

Indian companies such as the Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and Mahindra in Automobiles, Africure & pharma Nova in Pharmaceutical, Fer Ivoire, King Ivoire and Diamond Cement in construction materials, ETG, KIYO, Affcot, Topex in Agriculture and many others have invested and employing many Ivorians and contributing to the economic development of this country. Besides this there are many companies who has their presence in this country. Cote d’Ivoire has been experiencing unprecedented growth during the last 9 years averaging 8% annual growth and I would like to urge the Indian entrepreneurs to look at Cote d’Ivoire market seriously as an unrivalled economic opportunity.

 

I would also like to state that there are amazing innovative transformations taking place in India especially in business start-ups and innovative solutions especially in Health care services, Information Technology and Communication, Artificial intelligence all to harness technology for development. I would therefore like to request the Cote d’Ivoire business to look towards India not just for capital, but for innovation and experience-sharing to realize future growth in Cote d’Ivoire.

 

Ladies and gentlemen there are great complementarities in India and Cote d’Ivoire economies as well as entrepreneurial skills. To materialize these existing complementarities, what we need is to work together and establish inter-dependency in areas where the two economies have complete complementarities. I would urge entrepreneurs of both sides to look at each other as partners in co-producing innovation and adding value for boosting India-Cote d’Ivoire cooperation in new emerging areas.

 

This business seminar is organized with the sole objective of identifying and promoting business ties between the Cote d’Ivoire and India. This event is certainly an effort to bridge the information gap in our understanding of how Indian and Cote d’Ivoire companies should work together, collaborate, form joint ventures and join the transformation process going in both countries.

 

I am happy that the Cote d'Ivoire Chamber of Commerce and CEPICI has partnered with Embassy in organizing this event. I wish to sincerely thank the Chambers of Commerce Cote d'Ivoire and Indian Chamber of Commerce in Cote d'Ivoire for the support they have extended. I would also urge the businessman from both sides to take advantage of this event and have more in-depth B2B discussion which could lead to productive business ventures between India and Cote d’Ivoire.

 

I would like to reassured you that two Governments stands ready to facilitate this partnership and trouble-shoot issues that may arise from time to time. I would also like to assure you all that Indian Embassy will extend full support for facilitation of trade and investment between Cote d'Ivoire and India.