HCM CITY – Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is seeking to improve its business relationship with Việt Nam, Emmanuel Esmel Essis, Côte d’Ivoire’s Secretary of State, said during a trade facilitation conference in HCM City on Tuesday.

Việt Nam exports around 200,000 tonnes of rice annually to Côte d’Ivoire, while the latter exports around 400,000 tonnes of cashews to Việt Nam.

Côte d’Ivoire is plentiful in minerals and agricultural goods such as raw cashews, cocoa beans and coffee, along with developed ports and infrastructure.

There are many governmental policies to aid foreign investors, with state authorities and organisations that can provide assistance to investors quickly, Essis said.

The country also exports to many foreign markets, so investors can have easy access to these trade routes.

“Côte d’Ivoire and Việt Nam have had a long history of partnership. We aim to further develop the business relationship between the two countries, especially in terms of cashews and other agricultural goods,” he said.

Essis urged Vietnamese and Côte d’Ivoire businesses to set up business partnerships and invest in each other’s companies.

According to Nguyễn Thế Phiệt, representative of the Việt Nam Cashew Association in Côte d’Ivoire, the country imports electronic goods, textiles, garments, footwear and rice from Việt Nam.

Language barriers sometimes can be a problem to trade, as not many Vietnamese use French.

Phiệt urged Vietnamese firms to research the market and culture of Côte d’Ivoire before investing or forming partnerships with local businesses.

According to statistics from the General Department of Việt Nam Customs, in 2017 Việt Nam exported US$126 million of goods and imported $892 million of goods from Côte d’Ivoire. – VNS