The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ouattara

  • Ouattara poised for fourth term amid Ivory Coast tensions

    Ouattara poised for fourth term amid Ivory Coast tensions

    Count votes are underway after Ivory Coast’s  presidential election, where incumbent Alassane Ouattara seeks a fourth term amid opposition absences.

    Reporters and observers noted low voter turnout, especially in urban areas, following opposition calls for election boycotts and the disqualification of major candidates.

    About 44,000 security personnel were deployed to maintain peace during voting, with the election described as largely calm by ECOWAS-African Union observers, though some vandalism occurred.

    READ ALSO: Over $50bn in Crypto transactions passed through Nigeria in one year-SEC

    The incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, age 83, is widely expected to secure a fourth term.

    The poll, which saw five candidates vying for the country’s top job, was marked by the absence of two major opposition figures, raising questions about the fairness and competitiveness of the race.

    According to the Independent Electoral Commission, about 8.7 million Ivorians were registered to vote out of a population of roughly 30 to 33 million, as reported by Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and BBC. While the commission announced a preliminary turnout of 50%, actual participation appeared much lower in major urban centres like Abidjan, with observers and residents noting sparse crowds at several polling stations. This lower turnout echoed predictions from analysts who anticipated widespread voter apathy, especially after opposition leaders called for a boycott of the election.

  • Ouattara’s debut goal helps  Brentford beat Villa

    Ouattara’s debut goal helps  Brentford beat Villa

    Dango Ouattara scored on his debut as Brentford earned their first Premier League win of the season with a gritty performance against Aston Villa.

    Burkina Faso international Ouattara joined Brentford for a club record fee of £42.5m from Bournemouth a week ago and settled this match with a composed 12th-minute strike.

    The result also ensured new Bees head coach Keith Andrews secured three points in his first home league game, having succeeded Thomas Frank in charge at Gtech Community Stadium.

    Read Also: Arsenal rop EPL after thrashing Leeds 5-0

    Villa followed a tepid first half with a much-improved performance after the break but could not find a way past Bees goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

    Brentford’s winner was classic route one football as Kelleher’s long punt was flicked on by Igor Thiago and Ouattara broke clear.

    Emiliano Martinez rushed off his line to block Ouattara’s initial effort, but the Brentford man showed good anticipation to meet the loose ball before he calmly stroked it into the net.

    Brentford thought they had increased their advantage shortly before half-time when Mikkel Damsgaard crisply volleyed home after the ball dropped to him following Michael Kayode’s long throw.

  • Buhari, Ouattara meet over Togo, Liberia, other issues 

    Buhari, Ouattara meet over Togo, Liberia, other issues 

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday  met  with Cote d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The leaders discussed issues bordering on the situation in Togo, Liberia, among others.

    The meeting also deliberated on issues of mutual benefit to the countries.

    Speaking with reporters  said: “It is a great honour and privilege to be in Abuja to see my brother and exchange views with him on the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Cote D’Ivore and to see how our sovereign nation is doing and also of course we had the opportunity to exchange views on major issues on the continent and the world.

    “I will like to thank President Buhari for his invitation. I had expressed the wish to come and see him, we had been in touch and I came to tell him that we are very happy that he is back in good health. This is important not only for Nigeria but for the whole of West Africa and our continent. We pray God that his health continues to be strengthened and be better for him to lead our sub region.

    “The leadership of Nigeria is quite important to all of us which is something that is obvious but I think it needs to be said.

    “President Buhari has shown a great leadership with the fight against Boko Haram, insecurity in the sub region and also on economic matters.

    “I expressed to him the fact as an economist and having worked in Nigeria many years ago, I am impressed by the measures which have been implemented to lift Nigeria out of recession.

    He said that Nigeria and his country have similar experiences resulting from crash in the prices of the two countries’ main export commodities at the international market.

    He specifically commended the President for the measures engaged to bring Nigeria out of recession.

    “Nigeria has seen sharp drop in the price of oil and Cote D’Ivore has also experienced an important decrease in the price of cocoa. As you are all aware, Cote D’Ivore produces 40 percent of world cocoa,  two million tons and the price dropped early this year by 40 percent.

    “So this has had negative effect on our economy. I know what Nigeria went through with the sharp drop in the price of oil.  So I expressed to him my admiration for all the measures which have been taken to lift Nigeria out of recession and to wish all the Nigeria people well because our sub region has made a lot of progress over the past few years and we need to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Cote D’Ivore and Nigeria. This is what we discussed and we have committed ourselves to do so.

    “We also discussed the situation in Togo and situation in Liberia on those we have complete consensus on how we should go about to strengthen democracy in our sub region.” he said

    According to him, President Buhari had promised to attend the AU/European meeting in Abidjan at the end of November.

  • Ouattara’s victory is for unity, stability – Buhari

    Ouattara’s victory is for unity, stability – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night called President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire to congratulate him on his election victory.

    According a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari, in the telephone conversation,  described the election as a “major victory for democracy’’.

    He also praised Ivoirians for the peaceful conduct of the election, noting that it was a clear indication that the people of the West African country are prepared to live with one another in peace and harmony.

    President Buhari told President Ouattara that his re-election for a second five-year term was an opportunity to continue leading Cote d’Ivoire along the path of greatness, peace and tranquility.

    He wished Ouattara a successful second term in office.

  • Ivory Coast holds first post-war presidential poll

    Ivory Coast’s President, Alassane Ouattara, was heavily favoured to win a second term in a Sunday vote seen as crucial to turning the page on a decade-long political crisis that ended in a brief civil war in 2011.

    Ouattara, whose leadership has helped the West African nation re-emerge as a rising economic star on the continent, is facing a divided opposition – but a partial boycott and voter apathy could result in low turnout, the BBC Reports.

    A peaceful election is crucial to reassuring investors who have flooded into the world’s top cocoa grower, drawn by growth rates of around nine percent over the past three years as other African economies have crumbled due to the commodities crash.

    More than six million Ivoirians are registered to cast their ballots at around 20,000 polling stations, with voting officially beginning at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT).

    At a primary school in the western city of Man, a witness saw hundreds of people waiting to have their identities verified by new biometric technology before heading into the voter booths.

    In a number of locations, however, voting materials arrived late, causing delays.

    “We’ve been here since 5 o’clock this morning, but as you can see for yourself there’s nothing,” said Zacharia Traore, a shopkeeper and one of hundreds of people waiting to vote at a school in the city of Gagnoa.

    An elections commission official said the same problem had affected many polling stations in the area. And voters in the Yopougon district of the commercial capital Abidjan were also forced to wait for ballots to arrive.

  • Japan to partner ECOWAS on peace, security

    Japan to partner ECOWAS on peace, security

    The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on Friday in Abidjan, said Japan would partner with West African leaders to promote peace and security in the sub-region through dialogue.
    Abe, who spoke at the opening of a meeting with ECOWAS Heads of Government, said promoting peace and security in the sub-region would give fillip to economic activities and boost development.
    He said the need to promote peace and security in West Africa had become crucial due to its strategic place in global economy.
    Abe added that Japan, being a long standing friend to many countries in the sub-region, would continue to engage in issues that would promote economic development.
    The prime minister said Japan was ready to mobilise massive investments in the sub-region to boost its economic fortune.
    He noted that “Japan is ready to cooperate with governments in the West African sub-region toward facilitating Japanese investments.
    “We will encourage our investors to invest in opportunities in the countries in the region.’’
    In his address, the Chairman of ECOWAS Heads of Government, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’ivoire, said West Africa was blessed with investment opportunities capable of triggering sustainable economic developments.
    Ouattara said ECOWAS member states were ready to work with Japan toward deepening economic integration and cooperation that would be mutually beneficial.
    “ECOWAS member states see Japan’s interest in the sub-region as a welcome development. It is our hope that we will enjoy mutually-beneficial relationship,’’ Ouattara said.
    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abe’s visit was the first from a Japanese Head of Government to Africa in the past eight years.
    The prime minister’s decision to visit Africa was taken in June 2013 at the Africa-Japan Summit in Tokyo.