Country's Commercial Promotion and Intelligence: Commercial Attachés as the Spearhead

Abidjan, September 16, 2026 – Commercial attachés constitute the spearhead of the country's commercial promotion and intelligence, stated Chief of Staff Raymond Laurent Assoua, representing the Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Handicrafts, Ibrahim Kalil Konaté, at the 4th Annual Meeting of Commercial Attachés on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, in Abidjan-Plateau.

"From being a supplier of raw materials, it is critical and even imperative that Côte d’Ivoire becomes an industrial, innovative, and competitive nation for the well-being of our people. Your role is therefore fundamentally sovereign. It is up to you to ensure that every product you support is a faithful reflection of our national ambition, which is one of uncompromising quality, because excellence is our only option," insisted Raymond Laurent Assoua.

He urged: "I am counting on you so that your presence on the ground translates into a network covering purchasing centers, distributors, Chambers of Commerce, and business media. Organize 'Ivory Coast Processed Product Days,' negotiate dedicated spaces in retail chains, and carry the voice of our industrialists in trade fairs."

Through his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Kalil Konaté stated that he expects from each of these precious economic and commercial information relays quarterly intelligence notes targeted by priority sector: agro-industry, textiles, cosmetics, pharmacopeia, etc.

"Your efforts, your dedication, and your ability to open doors deemed closed are essential to our country's economic growth. Every contract signed, every retail listing obtained, every prejudice overcome regarding our products translates here into operational factories, jobs created, repatriated foreign currencies, and restored national pride."

In the momentum to conquer new markets, the Minister aims to appoint commercial attachés in several African countries within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

For his part, Nahoua Yéo, Chief of Staff to the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, recalled the importance of diplomacy within the framework of promoting international trade for the economic prosperity of any nation.

In his view, the General Directorate for Economic Diplomacy within the Ministry should be the primary point of contact for commercial attachés regarding the execution of promotional strategies for selling Ivorian goods and services internationally.

Representing the commercial attachés, Kouya Bertin Gommun, Commercial Attaché in China, revealed that according to the quarterly note on Côte d’Ivoire's international merchandise trade for the 4th quarter of 2025, produced by the National Statistics Agency of Côte d’Ivoire (ANStat), overall trade between Côte d’Ivoire and the rest of the world grew in value by 12.4% compared to the same period of the previous year.

"The trade balance reached a surplus of 2,123.1 billion FCFA, marking an improvement over the surplus of 1,295.6 billion recorded in the 4th quarter of 2024. Exports rose to 5,051.2 billion FCFA, representing a 20.3% increase in value, while trade reached 4.4 million tons in volume," he stated with satisfaction.

This annual meeting of Commercial Attachés, organized by the General Directorate of Foreign Trade, focused on the theme: "Strategy for Sustainable Commercial Penetration and Expansion of Processed Ivorian Products on International Markets."