Politics

Ivory Coast President, Alassane Ouattara to announce slim cabinet size next week

Published

1 year ago

April 14, 2022

Following the resignation of Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Patrick Achi who tabled his resignation and that of his government yesterday, President Alassane Ouattara reiterated plans to slim down the size of the cabinet.

Ouattara said he would reduce the government to around 30 ministers from the current 41, with new appointments to be made next week to govern the world’s top cocoa producer.

The president is expected to address a joint session of the West African country’s parliament on April 19, a government spokesman told Reuters.

A slimmer cabinet will be more efficient and in tune with the global economic climate, Ouattara said during the cabinet meeting at which he accepted the government’s resignation.

President Quattara’s move to cut government should be considered a positive in public administration in Africa because most African countries want to have large governments to the detriment of the state public finance.

A Nigerian scholar, Chinyeaka J. Igbokwe-Ibeto, argued that the cost of governance in Africa has been a serious challenge to development in the continent. A large government makes it difficult for governments to implement development plans and projects as most of the state resources are expended as high recurrent expenditure, while other vices like corruption, budget deficit, and fiscal indiscipline continue to plague public finance in the continent.

“It is imperative to reduce state spending and re-focus on social and security resilience,” he added.

The president however did not specify which ministerial positions would be cut.

Related Topics:Alassane Ouattara Featured Ivory Coast

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Politics

EU agrees sanctions framework for actors linked to Sudan war— Sources

Published

12 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Sources close to developments in Sudan have revealed that European Union ambassadors on Monday agreed on a framework of sanctions against actors linked to the ongoing crisis in the country.

The proposal for sanctions was submitted in July, but it was not approved until Monday. Later this month, the EU’s foreign ministers will give their final approval before the bloc can begin adding people and organisations to the list.

The sanctions are likely to be in the form of asset seizures and travel bans, similar to measures already taken by the United States, Britain, Norway and Germany, who all plan to submit a motion to the United Nations Human Rights Council to set up an investigation into alleged atrocities in Sudan, including ethnically motivated killings, a draft motion showed on Friday.

Last week, The US continued its sanctions on persons of interest in the crisis as it imposed sanctions on two companies, including one based in Russia, and one person. The move is the latest in sanctions imposed by Washington following a conflict that erupted in mid-April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over proposals for a political transition and the incorporation of the RSF into the military, four years after long-time ruler, Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in an uprising.

The United Kingdom has also penalised at least six commercial entities in relation to the conflict which has rendered more than 5 million people displaced and killed hundreds.

Politics

Tunisian opposition leader, Ghannouchi to begin hunger strike in prison

Published

4 days ago

September 30, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Embattled Tunisian opposition leader, Rached Ghannouchi, who has been a political prisoner since April, has threatened to begin a hunger strike in captivity.

Ghannouchi’s party, Ennahda made the announcement in a statement on Friday, stating that the 82-year-old fierce critic of President Kais Saied, has now decided to stay without food.

Ghannouchi was convicted in absentia in May after his refusal to appear before judges on the grounds that the accusations were false and the prosecution was politically motivated.

Along with other jailed opposition figures, who accuse Saied of a coup for closing the elected parliament and implementing rule by decree, he is also accused of planning against state security.

Since coming into power, President Saied has been firm on dissenting voices in the country. More than 20 political personalities, including Ghannouchi, have been detained by the police this year on suspicion of attempting to undermine state security.