CI Presidency

CC1 On Wednesday August 19, 2020, a Council of Ministers was held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Palace of the Presidency of the Republic in Abidjan, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic, Head of the State.

The agenda for this meeting included the following items:

A/-General Measurements B/-Individual Measurement

C/-Communications

A/– GENERAL MEASURES

LAW PROJECT

Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

The Council adopted a bill authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the revised Treaty of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU), adopted on July 12, 2019 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

This treaty operates a change of name of the Regional Council for Public Savings and Financial Markets (CREPMF) which becomes “Authority of the Financial Markets of the West African Monetary Union”, abbreviated AMF-UMOA.

The ratification of this convention by all the Member States, including Côte d'Ivoire, will make it possible to record the revision of the WAMU treaty and thus, to establish a clear and unequivocal distinction between the name of the community body and certain decentralized territorial entities of the Member States.

DRAFT DECREES The Council adopted nine (09) decrees: Pursuant to national electoral legislation, these various decrees lay down the practical arrangements for the organization and conduct of the presidential election, as provided for by the Independent Electoral Commission ( IEC).

Thus, the electoral college of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is convened on Saturday, October 31, 2020, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., for the election of the President of the Republic.

The electoral campaign is open on Thursday October 15, 2020 at midnight and closes on Thursday October 29, 2020 at midnight, i.e. a duration of fifteen (15) days.

Within the framework of this campaign, equal access to the official press and production of digital information, as well as to the media of the public service of audiovisual communication and the monitoring of the regularity of the communication products will be guaranteed by the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA), the National Press Authority (ANP) and the Superior Council for Advertising (CSP) which ensure the pluralist expression of currents of opinion.

Also, to help the successful organization of the presidential election of October 31, 2020 and on the proposal of the CEI, the participation of civil servants, state agents and similar is required for the execution of electoral operations. The Council adopted two (02) decrees. In accordance with the commitments resulting from the GE-06 Agreement of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to which Côte d'Ivoire is a party, the analog television reception signal should be extinguished on June 17, 2020 to leave the instead of DTT.

However, in order to overcome the inconveniences related to a national interruption of the analog signal, it was recommended by the national strategy document for migration to DTT, adopted on September 19, 2012, to proceed with a gradual shutdown of regional transmitters by region depending on the level of DTT deployment.

Thus, the chronogram for switching off the analog signal in the different regions is as follows: Given the programmed switching off of the analog signal which will definitively consecrate DTT in the national audiovisual space, this measure aims to guarantee consumers the free access to Ivorian DTT hertzian channels. Thus, the operators of the satellite packages are obliged to broadcast free of charge the DTT channels included in the said packages.

Also, free DTT channels can be received on national territory for the benefit of subscribers to pay channels even in the event of non-payment of subscription fees.

B/– INDIVIDUAL MEASUREMENT

Under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights;

The Board agreed to the appointment of Mr. AKA Henri Augustin, economist, as Secretary General of the High Authority for Good Governance, replacing Mr. KOFFI Kablan Marc-Antoine.

C/– COMMUNICATIONS The Council adopted a communication relating to the results of the baccalaureate and the summary of school exams for the 2019-2020 school year.

The baccalaureate results, marking the end of the mass draw exams, were announced on August 14, 2020. Nationally, out of a total of 316,935 registered candidates, 311,224 were present and 124,728 were declared admitted, i.e. a tau success rate of 40.08% compared to 41.23% in 2019.

For this session, 56,337 girls out of a total of 139,777 registered and 58,780 boys out of a total of 177,158 registered were declared admitted.

Also, the Regional Directorate of Yamoussoukro obtained the highest success rate, ie 48.04%, while the Regional Directorate of Boundiali recorded the lowest rate, with 12.95%. The Council adopted a communication relating to the creation of a regional organization called “Cocoa Initiative Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana”.

The Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative is part of the strategic partnership that links Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in areas of common interest.

The mission of this organization is to coordinate the Institutions and the cocoa policies of the two (02) countries in order to promote, promote and defend their collective interests on the international market and in international forums.

Thus, the agreement establishing this platform for exchanges and cooperation between the two (02) countries provides, in particular: The Council adopted two (02) communications. The raw cashew nut marketing campaign was officially opened on February 6, 2020, with production forecasts of 800,000 tons of raw cashew nut, of which 100,000 tons should be purchased by local processing units.

However, the achievable volume at the end of the campaign will be 902,000 tonnes against the forecast 800,000 tonnes. This volume is due, in particular, to the closure of borders due to COVID-19 and better control of leakage through land borders, better agronomic conditions and the effective implementation of a new statistical monitoring system. .

The minimum field price of 400 CFA francs/kg was approved for this purpose by the Government on the basis of a reference CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) price of 1,300 USD/ton. The Single Exit Right (DUS) has been revised downwards from 7% to 5% of the CAF price in order to create the conditions for a peaceful campaign.

As of August 10, 2020, cumulative purchases are 740,714 tonnes, i.e. approximately 93% of the initial forecast of 800,000 tonnes. 620,000 tonnes were unloaded in the warehouses of the transporters, including 170,000 tonnes purchased by the GIE-GEPPA at the minimum price of 400 CFA francs/kg, i.e. more than 27% of the quantities of the transporters.

The quantities unloaded in local processing plants are 91,182 tons.

Exports are 403,170 tonnes for an average FOB price of 721 CFA francs/kg, compared to 517,092 tonnes at an FOB price of 709 CFA francs/kg in 2019.

Producers still hold 106,600 tons of raw cashew nut stocks and 56,000 tons are still held by buyers, making about 162,600 tons available in production areas.

For the completion of the 2020 campaign, the Council instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and all the Ministers concerned to take diligent measures for the removal of the products still held by the producers. The 2019-2020 campaign was above all marked by the consolidation of the achievements of the effective implementation of agro-industrial zoning, with a return of the enthusiasm of producers whose number continues to grow, rising to 117,742 this campaign, against 103,336 in 2018-2019 and 88,522 in 2017-2018.

Seed cotton production is 490,423 tons, an increase of 4.5% compared to the 468,983 tons of the 2018-2019 campaign for an area also up by 14%, from 392,364 hectares to 408,448 hectares .

The good results of the campaign in terms of production, which constitute a new national record, allow Côte d'Ivoire to maintain its position as the 3rd African cotton producing country behind Benin and Mali.

Overall, the increase in production and the payment of all seed cotton at a record price despite COVID-19 has made it possible to maintain the constant improvement in producers' incomes over the last four (04) cotton campaigns, going from from 87 billion CFA francs in 2016-2017 to 109 billion CFA francs in 2017-2018, and from 122 billion CFA francs in 2018-2019 to 147 billion CFA francs in 2019-2020.

In terms of inputs, the prices are down slightly, by 13 CFA francs/kg and 11 CFA francs/kg respectively for NPK and Urea. As for insecticides, their prices remain stable at 33,000 CFA francs/ha for the entire cotton production cycle. Thus, on the basis of standardized doses, the cost of inputs for one hectare of cotton falls from 105,100 CFA francs in 2019-2020 to 101,950 CFA francs in 2020-2021, i.e. a drop of 3%.

Taking note of the prices for seed cotton and the prices for the transfer of inputs to cotton producers, resulting from negotiations between the players in the sector, the Board endorsed the purchase price proposed for the 2020-2021 campaign, namely : Also, the Council instructed the Ministers concerned in order to take the necessary measures for the respect of these principles. The Council adopted a communication on demonstrations on public roads.

Over the past few weeks, the national and international community has witnessed a series of demonstrations characterized by several incidents, in particular marches punctuated by several violent outbursts, large-scale inter-community clashes in Daoukro and, to a lesser extent measurement, in Gagnoa, of the attacks on the symbols of the State, with the fire of the Bonoua police station, as well as the destruction of public and private property.

The provisional report, at the national level, reports 6 deaths, 173 injured, approximately 1,500 internally displaced persons, 69 people arrested, as well as numerous material damages.

To date, the actions of the security forces to restore order and the mediations of the prefectural authorities and community leaders have resulted in a notable drop in tension throughout the national territory, and in a gradual return to calm.

Drawing the consequences of the human and material toll of these demonstrations and the risks of opening pockets of community conflict, the Council decided to suspend demonstrations on the public highway to authorize them only in closed enclosures or dedicated and secure spaces. . These events must be held in strict compliance with barrier measures and after authorization from the competent authorities.

This measure, taken as part of the state of emergency, is effective from this Wednesday, August 19, 2020 until Tuesday, September 15, 2020.

Also, the Council instructed the Ministers concerned, in order to take the necessary measures for the respect of these measures.

Done in Abidjan, August 19, 2020

Sidi Tiémoko TOURE

Minister of Communication and Media,

Government Spokesperson