Ivory Coast prime minister and government resign

Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi has tabled his resignation and that of his government as President Alassane Ouattara plans to slim down the size of the cabinet, Ouattara has said.

Ouattara said he would reduce the government to about 30 ministers from the current 41, with new appointments to be made next week.

A slimmer cabinet will be more efficient and in tune with the global economic climate, Ouattara said during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday at which he accepted the government’s resignation.

“It is imperative to reduce state spending and re-focus on social and security resilience,” he added.

He did not specify which ministerial positions would be cut.

At the cabinet meeting, the prime minister said his decision to resign followed the president’s intentions to re-shuffle the government.

“We have given the best of ourselves to execute your vision for 2030,” he told Ouattara.

Achi, 66, was appointed prime minister in March last year.  He was the third prime minister in the West African state in the last three years after Amadou Gon Coulibaly and Hamed Bakayoko, who both died in 2020.