China, Ivory Coast's third biggest trading partner, has opened its first chamber of commerce in the country, its embassy announced Monday in Abidjan.
It will house some 40 separate businesses involved in a range of projects, from supplying drinking water to Abidjan, to the expansion of the city's port and the construction of the stadium at Ebimpe, near Abidjan.
Other projects include the hydroelectric dam at Soubre, a gigantic project costing some 504 million euros ($600 million), built by China which also financed over 85 percent of it.
Ivory Coast's trade minister Souleymane Diarrassouba hailed the exponential growth of trade between the two countries "… making China the number one supplier and third biggest trading partner" for the west African nation.
Trade between the two countries had increased by 800 percent between 2014 and 2016, he added.
Adama Barrow: how do you solve a problem like The Gambia?
Six months ago, businessman and political novice Adama Barrow took power in Africa's smallest mainland country after delivering a stunning defeat against ex-leader Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled brutally for 22 years.
When Barrow finally took power in The Gambia in late January after a prolonged political crisis, the euphoria soon turned to grim recognition that Jammeh had more or less cleaned … read more
