Côte d’Ivoire: Alassane Ouattara praises Local Dialogue Efforts

The President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara, congratulated the prefectural corps as well as political parties and groups for their decisive role in facilitating local consultation frameworks, particularly the Departmental Security Committees (DSCs), which he described as having become genuine platforms for dialogue, prevention, and the management of local tensions.

“I congratulate you on the role you play in facilitating local consultation frameworks, particularly the departmental security committees which, under your leadership, have established themselves as genuine spaces for dialogue in the prevention and management of local tensions,” the Head of State declared. He was speaking at the ceremony for the presentation of New Year’s greetings to the President of the Republic, held on Thursday, January 29, 2026, in Abidjan-Plateau.

Alassane Ouattara also noted with satisfaction the willingness of territorial administrators, political parties, and political groups, in this year 2026, to intensify the actions of the DSCs in combating major social scourges through a coordinated and responsible approach. He further praised their ambition to strengthen government action through a more participatory and inclusive local approach, involving communities more closely in the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public programs. “This paradigm shift will undoubtedly contribute to improving public action at the territorial level and to the emergence of sustainable solutions built with local stakeholders,” the President of the Republic emphasized.

The Head of State finally extended his congratulations to territorial administrators for the rigorous and remarkable work carried out during the presidential election of October 25 and the legislative elections of December 27, 2025. “Through your professionalism and your strong sense of the State, you were able to ensure the organization of peaceful, transparent elections that respected democratic principles. Your actions reassured populations across the country, preserved peace and social cohesion, and ensured security. For this, I express my full appreciation,” he stated.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the prefectural corps, political parties, and political groups, the Regional Prefect and Prefect of the Department of Abengourou, Kouadio Kouassi Eugène, expressed the gratitude of his peers to the Head of State for creating favorable conditions for the effective and efficient implementation of public policies through the Departmental Security Committees. “These committees will undoubtedly be further strengthened, with rigor and firmness, in addressing major scourges such as drug trafficking, illegal gold mining, organized crime, the smuggling of export products, corruption, traffic accidents, and urban disorder,” he assured.

He also indicated that local governance will be strengthened in 2026 through improved coordination and more rigorous monitoring of the programs and activities of decentralized and deconcentrated structures, in order to ensure a real and lasting impact on the population.