United States Embassy (Abidjan)
10 July 2009
This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
President Barack Obama's maiden visit to Ghana was the major topic in today's Ivorian press. The Ivorian Government's decision to hold upcoming presidential elections on November 29, 2009; the civic society's observations on the voters registration exercise and the meeting of ministers of the Entente Council in Yamoussoukro also made the news. The other major issue was the UNDP's support to the reintegration of former combatants.
1. President Obama's official two-day visit in Ghana was the banner headline in many dailies. A front-page headline in Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) said the American President, who arrives in Accra today, wants Africa to become self-reliance. The paper further noted that the visit of President Obama is to promote his policy for the African continent and to pay tribute to the Ghanaian people for their efforts towards democracy and good governance. The article quoted Deputy Secretary of State for African Affairs Mr. Jhonnie Carson as saying: "This is a historic event". The United States, the paper suggested, wants to use this visit to encourage the whole African continent and its people to uphold the principles of democracy and rule of law as the prerequisite for its development.
2. Reporting on the same topic, L'inter (an independent daily) depicted the prevailing atmosphere in Ghana and reported the Ghanaian Information Secretary of State, Mr. Samuel Ablakwa, as saying: "This visit will undoubtedly boost investment in the country".
3. President Obama's visit to Accra was also a subject of a prominent article in L'intelligent d'Abidjan (an independent daily) which noted some shortcomings in the preparation of the event. The paper opined that other countries in the sub region could have been associated to this visit.
4. On home issues, Le Nouveau Reveil (a daily close to the former ruling PDCI-RDA party) reported on the recent Council of Ministers Meeting where President Laurent Gbagbo renewed his Government's commitment to hold the upcoming presidential elections on November 29, 2009. According to the paper, the Ivorian leader rejected any demand to extend the voter registration exercise that was completed on June 30, 2009. More on the controversy over the date of the polls, Le Patriote (a daily close to the opposition RDR party) denounced what it called "Gbagbo's double standard stance" on the issue.
5. L'Expression (a daily close to the opposition) reported on some observations made by Cote d'Ivoire's civic groups on the identification process. Addressing the issue during a press conference, the President of the group, Patrick N'Gouan indicated that the operation was carried out in a satisfactory manner and called on the Independent Electoral Commission to focus on the next steps in a bid to speed up the electoral process. Reporting the same issue, Soir Info (a privately owned daily) noted that the Ivorian civic society called on the independent electoral commission to elaborate and release a calendar for the remaining tasks to be completed in preparation of the polls.
6. In a related development, L'Expression (a daily close to the opposition) told readers that the leader of the Young Patriots, Charles Ble Goude called for a two-week extension of the voter registration exercise to allow those who could not register to do so.
7. L'inter (an independent daily) reported on the Entente Council ministers' meeting in Yamoussoukro. The gathering, the paper indicated, is to promote regional integration, solidarity and political consultation among the member countries. The ministers' meeting will be followed by a Summit of the Heads of States scheduled for July 11, 2009 in the Ivorian political capital of Yamoussoukro.
8. Finally a report in Fraternite Matin (a state-owned daily) said that the UNDP is to support the reintegration of former combatants. Financed by the French Cooperation to the tune of $1.3 million, the project is to provide commercial kits, vehicles and training materials to support the reintegration of former combatants in Bouake and Katiola, the paper added.
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