To mark the 10th anniversary of the Pan-African Congress for Justice and Equality of Peoples (COJEP), its president, Charles Blé Goudé, has introduced an unprecedented innovation in Ivorian politics: a paid political rally. The event is scheduled for August 15, 2025.

“For the first time in Côte d’Ivoire, we will organize a paid political meeting,” he declared in a statement shared with Incotedivoire.net t on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

According to the COJEP leader, this decision represents a break from the usual practice of “paying people to attend political meetings.”

“COJEP will be the first political party in Côte d’Ivoire to organize a gathering where it is the participants themselves who will pay to listen to a political message,” he emphasized.

The entry fee has been set at 1,000 FCFA, with the aim of deepening the engagement of party members and sympathizers in the life of the party, while also addressing the long-standing issue of disputed attendance figures at political rallies.

“The money collected will allow us to know exactly how many people were present. If we collect 15 million CFA francs, that means 15,000 people attended. If it’s 20 million CFA francs, then we were 20,000. And the debate ends there,” Blé Goudé explained.

He sees this initiative to strengthen the financial independence of his political movement. The “Basket of Hope”, as he calls it, will help fund COJEP’s activities and support its leader without relying on external actors.

“This Basket of Hope will enable the party to move forward freely, without having to ask others for help. It is a symbol of dignity and committed activism,” he concluded.