Jaishankar, Niale Kaba discuss trade and investment in Abidjan

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks with Cote d'Ivoire's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Niale Kaba on ways to strengthen bilateral ties, with a focus on trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties. The talks took place in Abidjan during the second leg of Jaishankar's three-nation tour of African countries, which began in Ghana and will also take him to Ethiopia.

Jaishankar said the two sides also discussed deepening engagement in multilateral fora. Earlier in Ghana, he received the country's Instrument of Acceptance for the Big Cat Alliance and paid tribute at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial in Accra.

In a social media post, Jaishankar said he had "comprehensive discussions" with Kaba on advancing the India-Cote d'Ivoire partnership, "including in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and people-to-people ties". He added, "Underlined that our people-centric cooperation will be driven by the priorities of Cote d'Ivoire."

In Ghana, Jaishankar received from Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa the country's Instrument of Acceptance for the Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), an India-led global initiative aimed at conserving seven major big cat species -- tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma -- and their habitats. India launched the IBCA in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger. The alliance aims to bring together countries that are home to big cats, as well as others interested in supporting their conservation, with cooperation in research, knowledge-sharing, capacity building and wildlife management.

Jaishankar also paid tribute at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial in Accra, honouring Ghana's first prime minister and later president, Kwame Nkrumah, a key figure in Africa's independence movement and a leading advocate of pan-Africanism. Nkrumah led Ghana to independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and played a prominent role in promoting solidarity among newly independent Asian and African countries. He was also closely associated with the Non-Aligned Movement and the broader idea of South-South cooperation. Jaishankar said, "The memorial and the museum showcase Dr Kwame Nkrumah's vision of reliance, dignity and freedom. They also remind us of the importance of deeper South-South cooperation."

The visit combined talks on expanding India-Cote d'Ivoire cooperation with developments from Jaishankar's Ghana leg, including Accra's acceptance of the Big Cat Alliance and his tribute to Kwame Nkrumah.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends