Abidjan’s revamp may boost Ouattara’s bid for fourth term

TOUTING himself as the prime mover behind the transformation of Ivory Coast's economy over 14 years in office, Alassane Ouattara hopes that revamp can help secure him a fourth presidential term Saturday.

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Ouattara, 83, came to power in the world’s biggest cocoa producer on the back of a political and military crisis but strong growth and investment since then has bolstered his position.

The visible transformation of economic capital Abidjan is an undeniable factor set to underpin support for the incumbent.

“We Ivorians never imagined we could have bridges, interchanges, and major roads like this!” exclaimed Moustapha, a tour guide, during a long guided tour of the city.

Moustapha makes no secret of the fact that he will vote for “ADO” precisely because the president has carried out a “metamorphosis” of French-speaking West Africa's megacity with some seven million inhabitants, almost twice as many as it had in 2000.

The revamp began with construction of three imposing new bridges spanning the Ebrie Lagoon and several road interchanges.

The most eye-catching is a cable-stayed bridge, inaugurated in August 2023, linking the well-heeled district of Cocody to the Plateau historic business centre.