Monthly Archives: June 2012

Ivory Coast economic round up 2/2012

Here’s the second in my new weekly economic round-ups. – Few doubts about the major economic story of the week – Ivory Coast became the 33rd country to achieve the IMF/World Bank’s HIPC achievement point which means a huge swathe … Continue reading

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Idea for the weekend IV

It’s been a while since I last added something to this series (and it’s not even the weekend), but here are a few things off the top of my head; – the baccalaureate exams are approaching as I know too well in … Continue reading

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Advice for Comms people; working with the international media

There are apparently no shortage of communications courses in Abidjan, but the quality of communications people even in the private sector, is pretty appalling. Here are some tips for those in the job who seem to have certain misconceptions about … Continue reading

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Ivory Coast economic round up 1/2012

There’s an interesting debate in Ivory Coast – is the country currently well down the road to once again becoming a beacon of economic growth in the region or is the hype all a smoke-and-mirrors affair? It’s a question we’ve … Continue reading

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Beyond one dimension

What will it take to bring true reconciliation to Ivory Coast? Most people say: time. Ouattara will do his two mandates and then retire, Gbagbo will spend 4-5 years fighting his ICC case and then either come back old or get locked up … Continue reading

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The view from the ground

It’s always interesting talking to businessmen in Abidjan because you tend to know where they’re coming from. They’re generally not trying to grind political axes (especially the foreigners) and they tend to have access to really authentic information from the … Continue reading

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Analysis – UN peacekeepers killed in attack

Just over two days after Human Rights Watch warned of the existence of anti-Ouattara military camps in Liberia close to the Ivorian border, seven UN peacekeepers were killed this afternoon in an ambush. The government says civilians and Ivorian soldiers … Continue reading

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In praise of…iTunes in Africa

I was a very latecomer to iTunes, and I don’t doubt that there are other excellent non-Apple platforms that do just as good a job. What I want to talk about is not the technology but the life-enhancement. I’ve met … Continue reading

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Abidjan Ouagadougou

I spent the last week in Burkina Faso. Given the presence of at least two million Burkinabe in Ivory Coast, it’s a nation you hear repeatedly mentioned in Ivory Coast, even if discussion is generally in a particular context. Burkinabe … Continue reading

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