Reforms mean that country is open for business

Q+A: Esmel Emmanuel Essis

Editor's note: Cote d'Ivoire is currently looking to attract investment in order to meet its ambitious National Development Plan, which aims to transform the country into an emerging economy by 2020. Esmel Emmanuel Essis, director-general of the Investment Promotion Center, also known as CEPICI, shares his opinion on the plan with The Business Report's David Lozano.

What is Cote d'Ivoire's strategy for attracting new investment?

CEPICI is assisting reform of the business environment, increasing ease for all. The World Bank has noted that our reforms have made transferring property less costly, trading across borders easier and enforcing contracts more secure.

As a result, we were named among the top 10 countries in the world for the progress in reforming our business climate in the most recent Doing Business Report.

How will you meet the requirements of the National Development Plan?

We will continue our structural reform and place impetus on the industrialization of our agricultural sector. Moreover, we are also looking to develop new growth sectors, such as renewable energies, ICT and mass retail.

What's your message to investors?

Industrialization is one of the key pillars of our reform. Cote d'Ivoire remains committed to regional integration, and investors could benefit from our situation to form a sub-regional industrial hub here.

Contact the writer at david@the-businessreport.com

(China Daily 08/08/2016 page25)