On Wednesday, November 11, 2020, a Council of Ministers was held from 10:00 to 13:30, at the Palace of the Presidency of the Republic in Abidjan, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic, Head of State.

The agenda for this meeting included the following items:

A/ GENERAL MEASURES 

– BILL

– DRAFT DECREE

B/ COMMUNICATIONS

A/ GENERAL MEASURES 

BILL

Under the Ministry of Budget and State Portfolio

The Council adopted a draft amending finance law on the State budget for the year 2020, as well as the related communication.

The global health crisis, linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to a downward revision of the growth prospects of the world economy, with a sharp contraction of 4.7% in 2020 against growth of +3.3% initially forecast by the IMF.

At the national level, this crisis has led to a slowdown in economic activity, which has led to a revision of real GDP growth to 1.8% from 7.2% initially forecast.

To contain the negative effects of this pandemic on the economy and social life, the Government has adopted a health response plan of 95.9 billion CFA francs and an economic, social and humanitarian support plan of 1700 billion CFA francs, which have significantly upset the initial forecasts of resources and expenditures. to the State budget.

Also, in application of the organic law N ° 2014-336 of 05 June 2014 relating to the finance laws, this draft amending finance law intervenes in order to take into account the upheavals of the budgetary and financial balance caused essentially by the perverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the finance law on the State budget for the year 2020.

These changes result, in total, in an overall increase in the State budget to the tune of 354.4 billion CFA francs. The balance thus stands at 8,415.4 billion CFA francs against 8,061 billion CFA francs initially planned.

DRAFT DECREE

Under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in liaison with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies and the Ministry of Budget and State Portfolio

The Council adopted a decree ratifying Loan Agreement No. 6740-CI, for a total amount of sixty-two million nine hundred thousand (62,900,000) Euros, or forty-one billion two hundred and fifty-nine million six hundred and ninety-five thousand three hundred (41,259,695,300) CFA francs, concluded on August 28, 2020 between the International Development Association (IDA) and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, in view of the Financing Program for the Development Policy of Regional Energy Trade in West Africa-Côte d'Ivoire.

The financing, the subject of this loan agreement, will increase electricity production in West Africa, strengthen energy security and reduce vulnerability to international fluctuations in oil prices, so as to significantly reduce the tax burden on the electricity sector.

B/ COMMUNICATIONS

1- Under the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization

The Council adopted a communication on the organisation of the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire.

In accordance with the constitutional provisions, the Electoral College of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire was convened to ballot on Saturday, October 31, 2020, in view of the election of the President of the Republic.

At the end of the election, the results proclaimed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and confirmed by the Constitutional Council are as follows:

– Alassane OUATTARA : 3,031,483 votes, or 94.27%

– AFFI N'guessan Pascal : 31,986 votes, or 0.99%

– BEDIE Konan Aimé Henri : 53,330 votes, or 1.66%

– KOUADIO Konan Bertin : 64,011 votes, or 1.99%.

In total, the presidential election on 31 October 2020 went well overall. The strong mobilization of voters is indisputable proof of the resolute commitment of the Ivorian people to the peace and stability of our country, the preservation of which was one of the major challenges of this election.

This presidential election opens the new electoral cycle whose next step is the election of deputies and senators.

2- Under the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection

The Council adopted a communication on demonstrations organised by certain opposition political parties.

Since August 10, 2020, unrest that occurred in application of the slogan of civil disobedience, and subsequently, the call for a boycott of the presidential election, launched by opposition political parties and groups, as well as civil society organizations have caused significant damage. Material and a heavy human toll in some localities of the country, including Dabou, Daoukro and Bougouanou.

In order to contain the excesses and limit the consequences of these disturbances to public order, the Government has taken a series of measures, including the deployment of police and gendarmerie reinforcements, the introduction of a curfew in the localities concerned and the sensitization of the population to social cohesion.

The Council instructed the Minister of Security to intensify security patrols with a view to rapidly restoring tranquility and peace throughout the national territory.

3- Under the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene

The Council adopted a Communication on the current situation of COVID-19 management.

As of November 10, 2020, Côte d'Ivoire has 20,847 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 126 deaths (0.6%). The average age of positive cases is 45 years and those over 65 years account for 21%.

The total number of cured is 20,546 (or 98.6% cure rate).

The number of active cases is currently 175.

4- Under the Ministry of Mines and Geology

The Council adopted a Communication on the balance sheet of mining production as at 30 September 2020.

At the end of September 2020, raw gold production amounted to 28,330 tons against 23,549 tons in 2019, an increase of 20.30%.

This production is divided between the small mine subsector, at 107.967 kg, and the large mine subsector, at 28.222 tonnes.

Base metal production amounted to 1,098,705.34 tonnes for manganese compared to 1,001,097.49 tonnes in the same period in 2019, an increase of 9.75%, 1,096,529.91 tonnes for nickel compared to 308,927 tonnes in the same period of 2019, an increase of 254.95% and 272,294.52 tonnes for nickel. bauxite at the end of September 2020 against 159,564.56 tons at the end of June 2020.

The production of quarry substances amounted to 6,028,362.74 tons of granite against 4,670,901.45 tons produced over the same period in 2019, an increase of 29.06%; 134,937 tons of pozzolan against 68,888 tons over the same period in 2019, an increase of 95.88% and 671,216 cubic metres of lagoon sand extracted, compared to 495,184 cubic metres over the same period in 2019, an increase of 35.54%.

Overall, the third quarter of 2020 has seen a significant increase in the production of mining and quarrying substances since the end of 2019.

It generated a turnover of 688.3 billion CFA francs, against 544.7 billion CFA francs over the same period in 2019, an increase of 26.36% including 17.1 billion CFA francs at the end of September 2019, for the State, an increase of 54.38%. This upward trend is accompanied by a diversification of production with the commissioning, since January 2020, of the Bénéné bauxite mine (Bongouanou).

5- Under the Ministry of Budget and State Portfolio

The Council adopted two (02) communications:

• The first communication relates to the situation of public procurement operations in the second quarter of 2020.

The amount of contracts approved at the end of June 2020 amounted to 594.5 billion CFA francs against 553.5 billion CFA francs at the end of June 2019, an increase of 7.4%. In number, 1,570 contracts were approved in the second quarter of 2020, compared to 1,726 in the same period in 2019, a decrease of 9.0%.

Competitive procedures, combining open tenders and restricted tenders, represent 77.4% of the amount of contracts approved at the end of June 2020 against 72.5% at the end of June 2019, an increase of 4.9 points. As for non-competitive procedures, including over-the-counter contracts, they represent 21.2% of the amount of contracts approved at the end of June 2020 against 25.1% at the end of June 2019, a decrease of 3.9 points.

The share of contracts awarded to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) increased from 31.2% at the end of June 2019 to 41.8% at the end of June 2020, an increase of 10.6 points. In addition, it is worth noting at the same period, a decrease in the average procurement time, from 101.5 days at the end of June 2019 to 93.6 days at the end of June 2020, a decrease of 7.9 days.

• The second communication relates to the budget implementation of public undertakings as at 30 June 2020.

At the end of June 2020, the overall revenues of public companies, consisting of twenty-seven (27) state-owned companies (SODE) and fourteen (14) companies with majority public financial participation (SPFPM), were realized to the tune of 726.2 billion CFA francs, for a projected amount of 891 billion CFA francs, i.e. a resource mobilization rate of 81.5%.

Expenses were executed to the tune of 700.9 billion CFA francs, for a forecast of 868.1 billion CFA francs, corresponding to an execution rate of 80.7%. It appears that the expenditure was generally contained in their budgetary envelopes.

Thus, at the end of the first half of 2020, there is a net profit of 25.4 billion CFA francs for the budget implementation of public companies for a forecast of 23.1 billion CFA francs, i.e. an implementation rate of 110%.

This good performance is mainly driven by state-owned companies, which recorded a net result of 30.7 billion CFA francs.

6- Under the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Cohesion and the Fight against Poverty, in liaison with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Budget and State Portfolio

The Council adopted a communication on the celebration of the National Day of Peace, 2020 edition.

The celebration of the National Day of Peace, 2020 edition, will take place on November 15, 2020 in the commune of Koumassi around the theme: "Together, let's consolidate peace and preserve our achievements".

On the occasion of this special day, the Government invites the populations living throughout the national territory as well as Ivorians living abroad to promote solidarity, strengthen peace and social cohesion.