The General Confederation of Businesses of Côte d’Ivoire (Cgeci) held its annual general meeting on Tuesday, June 29, marked by the renewal of some of the members of the Board of Directors and the membership of the Groupement des miniers de Côte of Ivory Coast (Gpmci).
If jobs were contained in the private sector in Côte d’Ivoire, at the start of the pandemic, the president of the organization, Jean Marie Ackah, notes however that companies have suffered a drop in their turnover ranging from 20 to 25%. “The Confederation has thus mobilized to seek, in partnership with the public authorities, solutions capable of supporting businesses, hence the development of an economic, social and humanitarian response plan,” he said. For him, given the context of Covid-19, companies must now commit to developing the pharmaceutical industry to make it not only a strategic public health tool, but also a flourishing, high-value economic sector. added. While drawing inspiration from the white paper on industrialization published by Cgeci including a set of measures for the industrialization of Côte d’Ivoire.
“The time is also ripe for revisiting our growth model and adapting it to the essential structural change that must move us from an exporter of raw materials at volatile prices to an exporter of manufactured products that will benefit from the vast African market of 1.2 billion potential consumers which opens up with the African Continental Economic Free Trade Area, ”said the president of Cgeci.
As part of its collaboration with the State of Côte d’Ivoire, the employers welcomed the progress made in taking into account their concerns such as the repayments of VAT credits frozen during the health crisis, and the repayment of ‘part of the debts owed to private schools.
