<p></p><p>Three important meetings were organized from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 November 2018 in Abidjan. This is the Abidjan Infrastructure Fair (Sia), which was in its 3rd edition; the International Cashew Processing Equipment and Technology Show (Sietta), also in its 3rd edition, and the 2nd edition of the Abidjan International Trade and Industry Forum (Ficia expo). Back on the fallout of these meetings for Ivory Coast.</p> <p>The Sia 2018, which took place on the site of the exhibition park of Abidjan, route of the airport Felix Houphouet-Boigny, in the commune of Port-Bouët, was the occasion for the hundred of economic operators present to make business contacts. The business opportunities of the Ivorian electricity sector, including the manufacturing of several materials such as cables, poles, as well as projects related to the construction of hydroelectric dams, the energy mix, etc., were presented to potential investors. The Ivorian authorities took advantage of the SIA to unveil the planned investments in the road infrastructure sector. These include the construction of kilometers of roads for 500 billion FCFA of investments, the widening of several lanes and the construction of motorways. As is the construction of works, such as the Urban Transport Project of Abidjan (Ptua), for a total cost of 466 billion Fcfa. Business opportunities have been raised in the water sector, whose investment needs are estimated at CFAF 1337 billion over the 2017-2020 period. The current national sanitation rate is 20%. The city of Abidjan alone has a rate of 40%. Hence business opportunities in terms of investment in this area that relate to remediation work, maintenance of structures, monitoring the operation of networks and sanitation, etc. This year, the SIA 2018 has welcomed a hundred exhibitors, up 30% from the previous edition. 5,000 professional visitors have been registered. The first edition was held in 2014 under the name Routexpo before being renamed Sia, in the second edition in 2016, and the third edition was completed on November 10, 2018. </p><p>Cashew industry. A world-class event showcasing the technological know-how of Côte d'Ivoire, Africa and the world in the field of cashew processing technology, Sietta has kept its promises. The organization of this show is justified by the many challenges that the African cashew producing countries, in general, and Côte d'Ivoire, in particular, still face in the transformation of this speculation whose agricultural production is in a clear progression. . Indeed, Côte d'Ivoire is the world's leading producer of raw cashew nuts with 711,236 tonnes of nuts in 2017. At the sub-regional level, cashew production in West Africa has reached 1,612 000 tons in 2017, according to the Rongead Ong. However, the conversion rate is below 10% of production. Indeed, Africa, which accounts for more than 90% of the supply on the world market of raw nuts, only transforms 6%, compared to 120% for South America and more than 220% for the United States. Asia. Yet cashew processing is economically very profitable and creates jobs and wealth, especially for young people and women. The low industrialization of the cashew nut sector deprives Africa and Côte d'Ivoire of significant added value, reducing job creation opportunities. Hence the organization of Sietta, which is involved in the emergence of a cashew industry in Côte d'Ivoire and Africa through the promotion and popularization of innovations in equipment and processing technologies. Indeed, this show aims to make investors and the general public aware of innovations in cashew processing equipment and technology; facilitate the acquisition of processing equipment and technologies; develop the local sector of manufacturing and maintenance of cashew processing equipment; encourage the installation of equipment manufacturers in Côte d'Ivoire: offer investment opportunities to economic operators; create business linkages between value chain actors and generate interest from the general public for cashew products. The Sietta is also an opportunity for the organizers to promote and popularize cashew derivatives in order to get people to know and integrate the consumption of cashew in their eating habits. The 2018 edition recorded 64 stands, compared with 52 in 2016, led by the 262 actors, for 78 structures. 20 equipment manufacturers, including 17 national, compared to 6 at the previous edition and 3 international, were present. In particular, they exhibited two complete chains and numerous innovations relating to the processing, harvesting and drying of nuts. Capitalizing on the achievements of this event, Côte d'Ivoire has made progress in transforming and developing the cashew value chain. Thus, as of May 30, 2018, the installed cashew nut processing capacity amounted to 178,000 tons for 24 functional units, compared to 90,900 tons in 2015 and 52,000 tons in 2012. They should be increased to 248,600 tons. tons by the opening of the next marketing year with 8 new projects approved for investment. </p><p>Investment promotion. Ivory Coast is a land of investment. It is this truth that Ficia wants to reveal to the world. Indeed, this forum is a platform to present investment opportunities in the agribusiness sector, particularly in the processing of agricultural products such as cashew, cocoa, coffee, cotton, rubber, fruits and vegetables, etc. economic operators in Africa and the West. As for the non-agricultural manufacturing industries, it is a question of developing the structuring industries dealing with the metallurgy and the steelworks, the cement works and the chemistry, the textile, etc. Same for light manufacturing industries (assembly and assembly industries), especially the automotive industry and equipment manufacturing. In the field of mining, Côte d'Ivoire has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds, manganese, bauxite, iron, nickel, palladium and scandium, for which the government has decided to increase significantly production. The country therefore expects major investments in infrastructure development (roads, railways, airports, ports, thermal power stations, hydroelectric dams, solar panels, industrial zones and parks, etc.) to support industrial development. Ficia is an all-out forum for advocacy with investors. Such meetings are therefore an opportunity to present the reforms initiated by the government to attract potential investors. The adoption, since 1 August 2018, of a new Investment Code, the creation of the Commercial Court of Appeal, operational since May 2018, are all elements presented to Ficia to attract potential investors. The meeting in Abidjan was a reminder that negotiations have already begun with the guest country of honor of the 2nd edition of Ficia, namely the Grand Est region, ranked second industrial region of France, in view of enter into partnerships, particularly for the development of the automobile assembly industry in Côte d'Ivoire. The presence of the first leaders of this region on Ivorian soil has been an opportunity for the national authorities to examine the possibility of developing cooperation in other industrial sectors such as metals, energy, electrical equipment information and communication (Tic) and medicine. The Ficia 2018 participants called on the rulers to define an inclusive and sustainable industrialization project.<br></p><p></p>