At the invitation of His Excellency Daouda Diabaté, Ambassador of the Ivory Coast in the United States, the Ivorian community of the Washington metropolitan area comprising the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia participated massively to the exchange meeting organized Saturday November 15, 2014 at the Chancery of the Côte d’Ivoire in Washington DC, and that despite the rough weather conditions taking place in the eastern coast of the country.

During the assembly, questions were raised concerning the September meeting with the President of Côte d’Ivoire His Excellency, Alassane Ouattara, in New York City, and also the upcoming visit of the Secretary of State for Construction, Housing, Sanitation and Urban Development, Mamadou Sanogo, pertaining to a housing program offered to the Ivorian diaspora. Participants also discussed the various donations of the Ivorian authorities to the diaspora community and some other issues.

Concerning the meeting between His Excellency, Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire and the Ivorian community, the Ambassador recalled and emphasized the main points developed by the Chief of State, to give the opportunity to his fellow citizens especially those who were not able to attend the New York meeting, to better immerse themselves and fully understand the content of the message delivered by the President. The Chief of State spoke about peace, security, reconciliation, reconstruction and economic recovery as well as the execution of many projects in progress throughout the country, which are intended to give much hope to the population and help re-establishing, every day, the pride of the Ivorians.

The Ambassador invited the members of the Ivorian diaspora to materialize the pressing calls of the Chief of State for more understanding, cohesion and solidarity so that all can get better organized to serve the country with their skills, knowledge and expertise. He also re-states that entrepreneurship will allow them to be true actors in the development of the Ivory Coast.

His development is to include everybody with a major social window pictured by the payment of 60% of the international market prices of cocoa to the producers, the raise of the minimum wage and also the unlock and the salary increase of the state employees, all that is done in addition to the construction and rehabilitation of schools, hospitals, health centers, roads and village trails, water supply and electrification, etc.

Apropos of the future trip to the United States of the Secretary of State for Construction, Housing, Sanitation and Urban Development, Mamadou Sanogo, the Ambassador informed his fellow citizens that the main goal of this trip is to inform them of the many housing projects put in place for their benefits as the President of Côte d’Ivoire wishes that every citizen should have his own roof.

The Secretary of State, Mamadou Sanogo will come with 48 accredited developers who will present their products the same way they did it in France for the Ivorian diaspora, there. (additional information available on the Ivorian Embassy website www,ambaciusa.org).

With respect to the various donations of the Ivorian government to its diaspora living in the United States since 2011, the Ambassador gave a detailed report including all the disbursements made at the request of the community leadership. He indicated what is now the remaining balance. At the end of the exchange concerning this particular point of discussion, a committee has been put in place that includes the presidents of the UFI and Infra-groups to make some proposals about the use of the still available fund, within 4 weeks.

A similar committee has been created for the donation made by the First Lady, Dominique Ouattara, to the women of the community.

Under the miscellaneous chapter, the Ambassador, Daouda Diabaté, informed his audience that a Forum for Growth is to be organized in Abidjan, economic capital ofCôte d’Ivoire, for the Ivorian diaspora. Additional information will be available shortly.

He also underlines that, at the beginning of next year, a forum of diasporas of the member states of the ECOWAS will take place in the United States. He did invite his fellow citizens to get ready to make some contributions and/or participate constructively to these events.