ABIDJAN – Ivory Coast Prime Minister Patrick Achi resigned on Wednesday ahead of a new “light” government that will take shape next week, President Alassane Ouattara announced.
During the last meeting of the Prime Minister’s cabinet, Ouattara said he had accepted the government’s resignation and that he would “appoint a new Prime Minister from next week, who will come and propose a simplified government to me”.
“I have decided to reduce the number of government ministers in order to enhance the efficiency of government, given the current global economic situation,” he said.
“It is crucial to reduce public spending and direct it towards social and security resilience.”
The reshuffle had been widely anticipated at a time of impending austerity, although some believe Achi could be reappointed to the post.
Ouattara paid tribute to the outgoing Prime Minister.
“Over the past year, you have shown commitment and determination despite the exceptional conditions resulting from the pandemic, as well as the complex regional security environment,” he said.
Achi was appointed last April after his predecessor, Hamed Bakayoko, died of cancer the previous month.
Bakayoko himself succeeded Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who died suddenly in July 2020.
Last month, the government capped the price of around 20 commodities, including rice and sugar.
He is also concerned that the jihadists, who have launched a bloody campaign in the Sahel region of northern Ivory Coast, are trying to push south towards the Gulf of Guinea.
Ouattara, 80, has been in power since his 2010 election victory, the contested outcome of which sparked a short but bloody civil war.
- AFP
