United States Embassy (Abidjan)
24 September 2008
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The decision by the authorities in Cote d'Ivoire to set up a new cocoa management committee to oversee the cocoa and coffee industry continued to dominate today's news reports. Papers also announced that the European Union has provided approximately $ 36 million in grant funds to Cote d'Ivoire in support of the peace process. The ban of Chinese milk products in Cote d'Ivoire and a project aimed at extending the Port of Abidjan, were the other major issues in today's papers.
1. Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) reported in a front-page story, that Mr. Anoh N'Guessan, the Chairman of the new cocoa management committee overseeing operations gave assurance that "The cocoa and coffee industry has not been taken from the producers." The new cocoa and coffee board director said this during a hand-over ceremony held yesterday in Abidjan. According to the paper, Mr. Anoh N'Guessan said the new management includes a committee of experts. Other entities , including the Cocoa and Coffee Regulatory Authority, the Coffee and Cocoa Exchange, the Fund for the Development and Promotion of Activities of Coffee and Cocoa Producers, and the Fund for Regulation and Control, are not "completely suspended and that they will continue to function." The Chairman of the new cocoa management committee however explained that these organizations are "just provisionally suspended from carrying out any activities for seven months" and that "during this time, the new board will carry out profound reforms aimed at improving their performance"
2. Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party): A front-page story in this paper said that eight years after disbanding the CAISTAB designed by the late President Felix Houphouet Boigny. According to the paper, about 80 per cent of the members sitting in the new management committee were former members of the CAISTAB. The paper went on to conclude that the eight years that saw the creation of bodies, including the Cocoa and Coffee Regulatory Authority, the Coffee and Cocoa Exchange, the Fund for the Development and Promotion of Activities of Coffee and Cocoa Producers, and the Fund for Regulation and Control to take charge of the industry, were just "a mess." [NOTE: CAISTAB (Caisse de Stabilisation des Prix des Produits Agricoles) was established in 1963 by the government of the late President Felix Houphouet Boigny, and was tasked to help stabilize the prices of coffee and cocoa commodities, and to ensure that producers have stable and consistent revenues.
3. On the peace process underway in Cote d'Ivoire, Fraternite Matin reported that the European Union has provided a $ 36 million grant to Cote d'Ivoire in support of this program. The report said that the grant is to support, among other things, programs promoting social cohesion through out the country. In a separate story, the paper said the U.N. Secretary General Special Representative in Cote d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, welcome the successful start of the identification program. According to the paper, Mr. Choi, however, expressed concerns about the delay in the start up of the program, which is planned to be completed within 45 days.
4. Notre Voie (a daily close to the ruling FPI party): In a prominent story, the paper denounced what it called "a scandal in the voters' registration exercise" and accused SAGEM - the French company in charge of the identification program - for organizing "fraud" on behalf of the RDR, the party led by Ivorian opposition leader Alassane Dramane Ouattara.
5. A day after Ivorian authorities banned all milk products imported from China and promised to analyze existing stocks; Fraternite Matin carried a banner headline saying that consumers are finding it difficult to identify the contaminated products. In a separate development, the paper reported that a project designed to extend the Port of Abidjan was presented September 22, 2008 to Dutch businessmen.
6. A prominent report in the front page of Nord-Sud Quotidien (a daily close to the opposition) said that 250 persons have been contaminated by new toxic wastes, which were dumped in the central city of M'Bahiakro.
Media Coverage of Embassy Activities
Soir Info (an independent daily), Le Temps (a daily close to the ruling FPI party) and Le Jour Plus (a daily close to the opposition) positively reported on a DVC program organized September 23, 2008 by the U.S. Embassy on the topic: "The Role of the Press in a Democracy and in Covering Elections". The reports emphasized ARS-Paris speaker, George Kazolias's message inviting journalists to balance their stories and to stick to the facts.
RTI-TV1 (the state-owned television network) yesterday carried footage on the Book of the Month program organized on September 18, 2008 by the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan. The positive reported included voices of participants who highlighted the importance of good relationship as a catalyst of partnership and mutual understanding. yesterday carried footage on the Book of the Month program organized on September 18, 2008 by the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan. The positive reported included voices of participants who highlighted the importance of good relationship as a catalyst of partnership and mutual understanding.
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