- Title: IVORY COAST: World Bank chief visits Ivory Coast
- Date: 5th September 2012
- Summary: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (SEPTEMBER 4, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, IVORY COAST PRESIDENT ALASSANE OUATTARA WELCOMING WORLD BANK PRESIDENT JIM YONG KIM AND THE TWO ENTERING BUILDING VARIOUS OF OUATTARA SHAKING HANDS WITH WORLD BANK OFFICIALS OUATTARA AND KIM SITTING AND TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD BANK PRESIDENT, JIM YONG KIM, SAYING: "I am here to express my strong, strong support for this country, its people, the leadership. We need Cote d'Ivoire to be successful and as long as Ivorians choose peace and continue to make efforts in education and continue to move forward with an an agenda that's inclusive to women, we are certain that Cote d'Ivoire will have great success in the future." JOURNALISTS OUATTARA AND KIM PREPARING TO TALK TO JOURNALISTS AFTER THEIR MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (French) IVORY COAST PRESIDENT, ALASSANE OUATTARA, SAYING: "That you equally have a lot more flexibility and smoothly in the way your great institution intervenes, and that the amount lent to Ivory Coast is substantially increased, given that Ivory Coast's is a regional economy." VARIOUS OF KIM VISITING ELECTRICIANS' TRAINING CENTRE, KIM SALUTING YOUNG MEN WORKING THERE, WALKING WITH HIS DELEGATION KIM WITH TRAINEES IN THE WORKSHOP (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD BANK PRESIDENT, JIM YONG KIM, SAYING: "At the World Bank we're very focused on jobs. The World Development Report this year will be on jobs. And one of the areas we need to pay special attention is jobs for young people. These are model programmes, I was very inspired in listening to the stories of some of the young people, some of them ex-combatants, who've now chosen a different path, they've chosen the path of education and of hope." VARIOUS OF KIM WITH YOUNG TRAINEES
- Embargoed: 20th September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cote d'Ivoire
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA9XXA1G1NNW1VTG06A10REC7D2
- Story Text: World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday (September 4) expressed support for Ivory Coast in his first visit to the West African nation and said he was confident the country could successfully rebuild from post-election violence as long as there was lasting peace.
"II am here to express my strong, strong support for this country, its people, the leadership. We need Cote d'Ivoire to be successful and as long as Ivorians choose peace and continue to make efforts in education and continue to move forward with an an agenda that's inclusive to women, we are certain that Cote d'Ivoire will have great success in the future," Kim told a joint news conference with President Alassane Ouattara.
Ouattara welcomed the World Bank's continued backing for his country and without elaborating said he had asked Kim, who took the helm of the global development lender two months ago, to substantially increase funding to Ivory Coast. The country is plagued by high youth unemployment, increased poverty and huge infrastructure needs.
World Bank funding to the world's biggest cocoa-growing nation is currently around $1 billion and any increase in lending would come from the Bank's fund for the world's 81 poorest countries, the International Development Association.
Ouattara said economic growth in Ivory Coast would likely be above eight percent this year and reach double digits by 2014. He said he hoped his country would reach emerging market status by 2020, alongside India, Brazil and South Africa.
Ivory Coast has started showing signs of revival since the end of violence last year, which erupted after former President Laurent Gbagbo disputed a late 2010 election result that showed he had lost to Ouattara.
The violence, which killed 3,000 people, continued even after Gbagbo was captured and transferred to The Hague to stand trail at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
Now the world's top cocoa grower is struggling to cope with a spate of armed raids this month on police and military installations, raising fears of renewed instability.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kim visited a World Bank-funded youth training centre, where students include ex-combatants.
"I was very inspired in listening to the stories of some of the young people, some of them ex-combatants, who've now chosen a different path, they've chosen the path of education and of hope," he said.
During his first day on the trip, Kim focused on hearing about ways in which the World Bank can help Ivory Coast rebuild and address the challenge of high unemployment, especially among youths.
The youth training center is an example of how the World Bank and the private sector can support government efforts to develop skills training for unemployed youths.
An estimated 60 percent of those between the ages of 15 and 35 are unemployed or underemployed in the Ivory Coast. One in two young adults in these age groups is underemployed.
The Chamber of Commerce estimates that the post election crisis caused the additional loss of between 80,000 and 120,000 jobs in the private sector.
Kim, the former president of Dartmouth College, an Ivy League school in New Hampshire, reflected on his personal story as the son of immigrant parents from South Korea who moved to the United States when he was 5 and how he benefited from a good education.
He shared high fives with students as he posed for a group photograph, wearing a white sports cap given to him by the training center. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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