Alhagie OB Conateh, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in The Gambia has been decorated Commander of the National Order of the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire.

Mr Conateh, chosen out of 101 Honorary Consuls of Cote d’Ivoire across the world, received these second highest Cote D’Ivoire national order at the just concluded First Conference of Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire held in Abidjan from 17th to  22nd September 2007.

The conference which brought together 101 Honorary Consuls of Cote d’Ivoire throughout the world and centred on the theme ‘The role of Honorary Consuls after the crises’, was aimed at gathering the country’s Honorary Consuls to see how best they can also contribute in repairing the image of Cote d’Ivoire after the conflict.

Yousouf Kone, the Grand Chancellor of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire decorated Mr Conateh with other seven senior Honorary Consuls of Cote d’Ivoire across the world, namely Haiti, USA, Athens, Lebanon, France and Vienna at a banquet, hosted by President Laurent Gbagbo in honour of the Honorary Consuls at the Presidential Palace.

Speaking to the Daily Observer yesterday at his Cape Point resident in Bakau, the Gambian-born-Ivorian Honorary Consul in The Gambia, Mr OB Conateh disclosed that during the course of the five days conference, papers were presented on the topic; Consular Affairs and Investment Promotion in which the role of the Honorary Consul and his actions for partnership, the promotion of foreign direct investments in Cote d’Ivoire, challenges to the development of Cote d’Ivoire external trade with internal and external factors of competitiveness, were all on the centre stage.

“We also discussed on trade promotion and investment in Cote d’Ivoire, in which the Coffee and Cocoa sector was in the centre stage as investment opportunities of the country.

The management and commercialisation of energetic resources of Cote d’Ivoire, the investment opportunities offered by the mining sector in Cote d’Ivoire, Free Zone and the development of Cote d’Ivoire (challenges and opportunities), customs regulations and issues, the judiciary security, and the introduction of the National Public Agency in charge of technical studies and projects implementation at the national and sub-regional level (BNETD) and major national projects, were all discussed at the conference.

We also held several visits to many areas in the country, such as the Abidjan Ports Authority, visit to Yamoussoukro, the nation’s political capital, where sites and on-going major projects are being built, after which a lunch was hosted by Mr Apolinaire Ndri, Governor of Yamoussoukro district,” he said.

According to Mr Conateh, during the opening of the conference, Mr Guillaume Soro, Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire who represented President Gbagbo called on the Consuls to join efforts in rebuilding the country. He said that Prime Minister Soro described the country as a developing nation, with lots of potential and implored the Honorary Consuls to assist in ensuring that the good name of the country is restored.

“Prime Minister Soro also implored us to try to sell the economic potential of Cote D’Ivoire, look for partners to come into Cote d’Ivoire and venture into the mining, Coco and coffee, as well as the shipping sectors,” he said.

At the closing, Mr Conateh noted that President Laurent Gbagbo expressed delight at the positive turn-out of all his country’s Honorary Consuls across the world, describing it as an indication of the reality of Cote d’Ivoire, regarded as one of the leading countries in Africa. Mr Conateh added that President Gbagbo then renewed his call for national development and then urged the Honorary Consuls to contribute their little in rebuilding Cote d’Ivoire.

Mr Conateh further noted that President Gbagbo also recognised the importance of Honorary Consuls, describing them as a vital component of the diplomatic service.

It could be recalled that Alhagie OB Conateh was nominated as the Consul of Cote d’Ivoire in The Gambia in 1986. In 1995, he was decorated by the former Ivorian President Bedei, with the Insignia of the Officer of the Order of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.

Mr Conateh was also decorated in the First Republic of The Gambia as Member of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia (MRG) and in the Second Republic as Officer of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia (ORG).