Even on a scale appropriate to West Africa, a vigorous export sector can act as a flywheel that maintains balance and stability in an economy experiencing unprecedented growth. Ivoirian officials have been making determined efforts to reach out to potential markets abroad while at the same time offering foreign investors a quick-start gateway to doing business.
Identifying new markets and encouraging demand for speciality exports like karité (shea butter), rubber and tropical fruit are the priority concerns of Guy M’Begue, Director General of APEX-CI, the Association for the Promotion of Commercial Exports. His agency has a busy year coming up hosting the world conference on karité set for March 24-26 in Abidjan, while implementing the National Export Strategy that represents a key part of the government’s 2012-2015 development plan.
“We wear two hats,” says Mr M’Begue. “As the export promotion board, our job is to see that a critical sector of the economy is properly managed. We want to reduce dependence on traditional products and boost those that have a high added-value factor, or that are more geographically diversified.
“Then, as a support resource for the private sector, we are tasked with ensuring that the business environment stays open and competitive – particularly for small and medium-sized businesses – and when necessary, help them to interface with national and local administrations.”
“The Ouattara administration’s policies have allowed us to focus our trade outwards”
Nicolas Djibo,
Chairman of the ICCI |
But APEX-CI doesn’t stop at just building up the brand; it also serves as the go-to problem-solving agency offering finance, expertise and training for local businesses seeking a foothold in the export sector. For example: a window for Ivoirian textiles opened after the US Congress passed the African Growth and Opportunity Act in 2000. APEX-CI makes its expertise available to entrepreneurs who might otherwise be daunted by the thought of dealing with a Washington-based, English-speaking trade bureaucracy.
When circumstances are reversed and Côte d’Ivoire is targeted for foreign investment, the Ivoirian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) steps in, with GUICE, the Single Window for Foreign Trade. Since its launch last year, this one-stop portal for dealing with matters such as taxes, import duties, valuations and customs brokerage has proven a lifesaver for exporters, importers and foreign-based investors alike.
“Our organisation is a major pillar of the Ivoirian economy,” says Nicolas Djibo, Chairman of the ICCI and Mayor of Bouaké, the country’s second-largest city. “We are a country with strong potential in terms of primary agricultural commodities, and we have other resources such as mining and oil that have attracted the interest of foreign investors. Our mission is to provide solid entrepreneurial training to executives in the industrial, commercial and service sectors in their pursuit of excellence.”
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