The President of the Republic, H.E.M. Alassane OUATTARA, chaired this Friday, April 05, 2019, the opening ceremony of the Forum "Mo Ibrahim Governance weekend", at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire.

Organized by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, this Forum, which is in its 12th edition, was attended by several former Heads of State as well as personalities from political, sports, economic, financial, scientific and civil society circles. The opening ceremony was also marked by a special tribute to the late Kofi ANNAN, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Speaking at this Forum whose theme is: "African migrations: youth, employment and mobility", President Alassane OUATTARA first thanked all these high personalities and especially the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and its President, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, for choosing Côte d'Ivoire to host this renowned event. international, which will make it possible to discuss issues at the heart of Africa's development, in this case migration issues on the continent, which are of particular relevance in the light of current events and realities that our respective countries are going through.

He then congratulated Dr. Mo Ibrahim for his commitment to promoting good governance, leadership and development in Africa. He took the opportunity to indicate that since its accession to power, Côte d'Ivoire has embarked on ambitious reforms to strengthen governance and transparency in public management; efforts that resulted in a significant improvement in our ranking in the Mo Ibrahim Index, which rose from 41st to 22nd place, the strongest increase recorded between 2007 and 2018.

In addition, the President of the Republic thanked the Mo Ibrahim Foundation for having offered the opportunity to pay tribute and salute, during this weekend on Ivorian soil, the memory of his brother Kofi ANNAN, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Peace Prize, "great and worthy son of Africa".

For him, in fact, the "humanist, the humanitarian and the great diplomat" Kofi ANNAN, would have been particularly proud of the quality of this Assembly gathered in Abidjan around the theme of the 2019 edition of the Mo Ibrahim Forum, especially since these issues have been constantly at the heart of its commitment and actions.

Referring in particular to the case of Côte d'Ivoire, the Head of State stressed that the name of Kofi ANNAN is closely linked to the return of peace and security in our country. Because, according to him, much more than a Friend of Côte d'Ivoire, he was a son of our country, a brother who shared the pain of Ivorians throughout the serious politico-military crisis that we have experienced.

That is why, in recognition of his important contribution to the return of peace in Côte d'Ivoire, he paid tribute to him on December 5, 2018, in New York, on the occasion of the meeting of the United Nations Security Council, chaired by Côte d'Ivoire. For him, Kofi ANNAN has given new life and strength to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, to international law and reinvented Multilateralism, at the same time as, thanks to his political courage, the strength of his convictions and his moral authority, it has given as many Member States as possible reasons to believe in the United Nations and Multilateralism.

In conclusion, President Alassane OUATTARA said that with the death of Kofi ANNAN, the world has lost "a tireless peacemaker, a defender of the peaceful settlement of disputes and a great visionary, a major player of our time whose voice, elegance, humility, humanism and wisdom will be missed by the great causes of the world."

Before the Head of State, several speakers, including Dr. Mo Ibrahim, President of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mrs. Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Kodjo ANNAN, one of the sons of Kofi ANNAN, all, each in his style, highlighted the immense qualities of this worthy son of Africa and the world.

At the end of this ceremony, the Head of State offered a dinner in honor of Dr. Mo Ibrahim and the many personalities present in our country on the occasion of this Forum.

Note that on Saturday, April 6, 2019, the President of the Republic will lead a Panel with Dr. Mo Ibrahim, at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire, in the afternoon.