Dabakala, Cote d’lvoire: Prime Minister of Cote d’lvoire, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, has said it is not fair to say that the fruits of the country’s sustained economic growth are not shared or are not reaching the people.
The Head of Government made this remark while presiding over the tribute ceremony to President Alassane Ouattara on Saturday.
Coulibaly reminded that the electrification of the villages, the supply of drinking water, the increase of guaranteed minimum wage (SMIG) and salaries of the civil servants, the construction of health centers and colleges of proximity are the expression of the redistribution of the fruits of economic growth.
100% national coverage in electricity
On the same day, during the launch of the Ivory Coast Electricity Network Development and Rehabilitation Project (PRODERCI) in Dabakala, Prime Minister Coulibaly reiterated Ivory Coast’s ambition to move to a national coverage rate of 100%.
“PRODERCI promises to be one of the biggest projects ever in the energy sector in Côte d’Ivoire. It will significantly improve access to electricity and increase the national coverage rate from 48% to 100%. He said.
The Prime Minister added that PRODERCI is a project of high social and economic scope that will develop economic activities in all regions covered, facilitating the empowerment of women, improving living conditions in rural areas, and creating jobs.
The project will cover four (4) zones: Zone 1 in the Northeast, Zone 2 in the North Center, Zone 3 in the Central West and Zone 4 in the West.
According to the Head of Government, the development of the electricity sector is one of the main priorities of the development action of the President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara.
This strategic choice, he said, has increased Côte d’Ivoire’s installed capacity from 1,931 MW in 2011 to 2,200 MW today, with the goal of increasing it to 4,000 MW by 2020.
From a total cost of 818.6 million US dollars, 460 billion FCFA, the project will be completed by July 2020. Funding is provided up to 95% by China Eximbank and 5% by the State.
