Jaishankar Holds Talks In Abidjan To Strengthen India-Cote d'Ivoire Ties

Jaishankar discusses bilateral ties with Cote d'Ivoire

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks in Abidjan with Cote d'Ivoire's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Niale Kaba on strengthening bilateral ties, with discussions covering trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties.

Jaishankar arrived in Cote d'Ivoire from Ghana on the second leg of his three-nation tour of African countries, which also includes Ethiopia.

Focus on India-Cote d'Ivoire partnership

Jaishankar described his meeting with Kaba as involving “comprehensive discussions” on advancing the India-Cote d'Ivoire partnership.

He said the talks covered cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties.

Jaishankar said India’s people-centric cooperation with Cote d'Ivoire would be guided by the country’s priorities.

The two sides also discussed deepening their engagement in multilateral fora, according to Jaishankar.

The range of issues discussed places economic cooperation and sectors linked to public needs at the centre of the bilateral engagement.

International Big Cat Alliance

Before travelling to Cote d'Ivoire, Jaishankar was in Ghana, where he received the country’s Instrument of Acceptance for the International Big Cat Alliance from Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

IBCA is an India-led global initiative focused on conserving seven major big cat species and their habitats.

The species covered by the alliance are the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.

India launched the IBCA in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.

The alliance seeks to bring together countries that are home to big cats, along with other countries interested in supporting their conservation.

Its proposed areas of cooperation include research, knowledge-sharing, capacity building and wildlife management.

Ghana’s acceptance of the instrument adds the country to the initiative’s expanding international conservation framework.

Tribute to Kwame Nkrumah

In Accra, Jaishankar also paid tribute at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial.

The memorial honours Ghana’s first Prime Minister and later president, Kwame Nkrumah, who was a key figure in Africa’s independence movement and one of the leading advocates of pan-Africanism.

Nkrumah led Ghana to independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and promoted solidarity among newly independent Asian and African countries.

He was also closely associated with the Non-Aligned Movement and the broader idea of South-South cooperation.

“The memorial and the museum showcase Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of reliance, dignity and freedom. They also remind us of the importance of deeper South-South cooperation,” Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar’s engagements in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire combine bilateral discussions, cooperation on wildlife conservation and a reference to the historical links between Asian and African countries.

Source: The Hindu