Abidjan, Jan 22, 2022 (AIP)- The Ivorian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, wished that “the Ghanaian and Ivorian Heads of State align themselves on a common position to best defend the interests cocoa farmers”.

He expressed this wish, Friday, January 21, 2022, at the presidential palace of Ghana where he was received in audience by President Nana Akufo-Addo, on the sidelines of the 2nd meeting of the steering committee of the Ivory Coast Cocoa Initiative -Ghana (ICCIG) held in Accra.

Minister of State Kouassi Adjoumani expressed the wish for “a common position between the two Heads of State for the defense of the interests of cocoa producers whose well-being is at the heart of their social policy”, during the summit. EU-Africa scheduled for February 2022 in France.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday, January 19, the holding, next February in France, of an EU-Africa summit aimed at rebuilding the partnership between Europe and Africa.

This summit will be held on the basis of “a new alliance between the European Union (EU) and African countries in terms of investment, health and security”, as desired by France which ensures, until June 30, 2022, the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, it is known.

Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, suppliers of more than 60% of the world’s cocoa and engaged in bilateral cooperation in the cocoa sector, signed the headquarters agreement of their new organization, the ICCIG, on August 05, 2021 in Accra, Ghana.

The Cocoa Initiative, which essentially aims to improve the price to the producer, is the materialization of the social policies of the Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and that of Ghana, Nana Addo Akufo, in favor of cocoa producers.

Minister of State Adjoumani was accompanied to this audience by his Ghanaian counterpart, Owusu Akoto, the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to Ghana, the Director General of the Coffee-Cocoa Board, the Executive Director of the Ghana Cocoa board and of the Executive Secretary of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative.

Source: Agence Ivoirienne de Presse