Draft Laws and Decrees Recently Adopted by the Council of Ministers on 14/12/2017

Here are the legislative (laws and ordinances) and regulatory (decrees) texts recently adopted by the Council of Ministers on Thursday, December 14, 2017. The government adopted a total of one law, three (3) ordinances, and eight (8) decrees. Briefly, they are as follows:

Draft Laws and Ordinances

1. Ministry of Economy and Finance, in collaboration with the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, in charge of the Budget and State Portfolio:

   • Adoption of a draft law authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the Millennium Challenge Grant Agreement between the United States of America, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

   • The grant agreement, called the Côte d’Ivoire Compact, signed in November 2017 for USD 524.7 million, funds two major projects aimed at improving employability for Ivorians and productivity in the private sector, as well as transportation in Abidjan. Ratification will stimulate economic growth, reduce poverty, strengthen regional stability, and improve the investment climate.

2. Ministry of Economy and Finance, in collaboration with the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister:

   • Adoption of an ordinance creating, defining powers, organization, and functioning of the Millennium Challenge Account–Côte d’Ivoire, along with its ratification bill.

   • This public entity manages and implements the Côte d’Ivoire Compact and associated projects according to MCC standards.

3. Ministry of Public Service, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Health, and Secretary of State to the Prime Minister:

   • Adoption of an ordinance setting rules for the engagement of retired Military Doctors in the Public Service and National Public Institutions, with a ratification bill.

   • Retired military doctors can continue working in public health institutions to address personnel shortages, through contractual recruitment.

4. Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, in collaboration with the Ministries of Industry, Agriculture, and Economy and Finance:

   • Adoption of an ordinance instituting an export tax on raw cashew nuts to support sustainable development of the cashew sector, with a ratification bill.

   • Tax: CFA 30 per kg of exported raw cashew nuts. Revenue will fund competitiveness and structuring initiatives for the sector.

Draft Decrees

1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministries of Planning, Economy and Finance, Economic Infrastructure, and Secretary of State to the Prime Minister:

   • Three decrees on financing the Cocody Bay development project in Abidjan:

     1. Ratification of a loan agreement of USD 20 million (~CFA 11,657,536,200) with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).

     2. Ratification of a deferred payment agreement (Services) of EUR 7,760,000 (~CFA 5,090,226,320) with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

     3. Ratification of a deferred payment agreement (Tangible Assets) of EUR 226,240,000 (~CFA 148,403,711,678) with IDB.

   • Projects include environmental cleanup, construction of basic infrastructure, a viaduct, road improvements, flood protection, and promotion of social, tourism, and commercial investments.

2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Planning, Economy and Finance, and Secretary of State to the Prime Minister:

   • Two decrees financing the Development Project for the Professional Training System under reverse-flow partnerships:

     1. Deferred payment agreement 1 (Services) EUR 5,010,000 (~CFA 3,286,344,570) with IDB.

     2. Deferred payment agreement 2 (Tangible Assets) EUR 8,250,000 (~CFA 5,411,645,250) with IDB.

   • Project benefits 4,245 youth, half of whom are female, improving access to quality vocational training.

3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance:

   • Ratification of Loan Agreement No. 61550-CI for EUR 105,900,000 (~CFA 69,465,846,300) with the International Development Association (IDA) for a second support credit covering reforms in budget management, education, energy, and the cocoa sector.

4. Ministry of Communication, Digital Economy, and Post, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance:

   • Decree authorizing automated processing of personal data for integrating major creditors into the electronic credit information sharing platform, in accordance with laws on credit bureaus (2014-136) and personal data protection (2013-450).

5. Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance:

   • Partnership communication with MED-AFRIQUE for financing, rehabilitation, construction, equipment, training, maintenance, and renewal of biomedical equipment in selected hospitals.

   • Decree approving the partnership contract for the selected Regional and General Hospitals.

   • Project supports the pilot phase of Universal Health Coverage (CMU) and improves the quality of hospital services.

Other Legislation

• Business Criminal Law:
  Law No. 2017-727 of November 9, 2017, on sanctions for offenses under the Uniform Acts of the OHADA Treaty.

• Labor Law:
  Ivorian Labor Code: Law No. 2015-532 of July 20, 2015.

Sources:

• GOUV.ci

• Ivorian Labor Code PDF