The African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) announced that Côte d’Ivoire has joined a growing list of African countries who are members of the institution
ATI is a multilateral investment insurer whose specialised investment and commercial risk insurance products are expected to help attract up to US$2bn worth of inward investments and trade into the country, and to potentially help lower its sovereign borrowing costs by up to 1 per cent annually.
The pan-African institution now insures investments equal to approximately 0.6 to 1.4 per cent of GDP annually in a majority of its member states and includes support of strategic deals such as cover on African Development Bank’s US$159mn loan to fund Ethiopian Airline’s fleet expansion. Côte d’Ivoire’s membership in ATI is seen as an integral part of the government’s strategy to attract more investments and to diversify the economy through increased trade and investment opportunities.
“Our country membership in ATI will contribute to creating the economic conditions that will enable us to reach emerging country status by 2020,” commented Mr Adama Kone, Minister of Economic and Finance of Côte d’Ivoire.
Côte d'Ivoire becomes the third country to join ATI in the last six months following Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, which became members in late 2016. Rapid membership growth, particularly in significant African economies, is core to ATI’s medium-term plan to broaden its reach and impact and to better distribute risk across more countries in Africa.
