A DELEGATION FROM THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL VISITS ABIDJAN PORT

Autres Monday 07 April 2025

The Abidjan Port Authority (PAA) welcomed an important delegation from RENEWPAC (Liberals and Democrats from Africa, Europe, the Pacific, and the Caribbean) on Sunday, February 23, 2025. The 3rd RENEWPAC summit was held in Abidjan from February 22 to 25, 2025, under the central theme: "Progressing Partners: Strengthening EU-Africa Competitiveness for Sustainable Growth."

The delegation, led by Mr. Sidy Tiémoko TOURÉ, Ivorian Minister of Animal and Fisheries Resources and Executive Vice-President of Liberal International, and Mr. Jan-Christoph OETJEN, Co-President of RENEWPAC and German Parliamentarian, included political decision-makers, opinion leaders, and liberal parliamentarians from various backgrounds.

As recall, Liberal International is a global federation of liberal and social-liberal political parties, founded in 1947 as the World Union of Liberal Parties. Based in London, the association was joined by Côte d'Ivoire in 2003 through the Rassemblement des Républicains (RDR), today the Rassemblement des Houphouëtistes pour la Démocratie et la Paix (RHDP), led by H.E. Alassane OUATTARA, President of Côte d'Ivoire.

Given its unwavering support for the Ivorian President’s initiatives and Côte d'Ivoire’s strategic leadership in sub-regional politico-economic meetings, it was quite righthy for the federation to hold its annual sessions in the country just months before the next Ivorian elections. The event focused on multiple sub-themes, including the environment, with a particular emphasis on: "Blue Economy: Unlocking Maritime Potential for Sustainable Growth."

Who better than the Abidjan Port Authority, a key player in the Ivorian economy committed to environmental sustainability through its ISO 14001 version 2015 certification, to address this issue?

Choosing to visit the Port of Abidjan before the official start of the summit allowed its Managing Director, Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ, to actively engage in this exercise.

He first acknowledged the leadership and vision of President Alassane OUATTARA, which has enabled the implementation of major modernization and expansion projects at the Abidjan port platform since 2012. He then outlined the efforts undertaken by the Abidjan Port Authority to sustainably manage marine resources and improve infrastructure to reduce the environmental impact of port activities.

Mr. Sidy TOURÉ, in turn, detailed various measures taken by the Ivorian government to strengthen the economy, particularly through multiple initiatives for sustainable fishing at national, regional, and continental levels.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Mr. Jan-Christoph OETJEN emphasized the crucial role of ports in wealth creation and economic development, underscoring the significance of their visit to the Port of Abidjan. "As liberals, our mission is to facilitate this wealth creation by promoting areas of opportunity," he stated.

Following this discussion, which highlighted the urgent need to invest in blue economy, the delegation took a ground tour of the second container terminal, followed by a lunch offered to all participants.