Cote DIvoire Vridi Terminal concession, done or undone?

The reaction wasn’t because it was the Bollore group that had secured the contract but that it had happened apparently behind closed doors without other parties being invited to tender – an attitude that prompted the local Chamber of Commence to write in protest to the World Bank. It seems that the agreement was reached between Bollore and the port authority but local observers believe it is likely to have needed presidential support as well.

With the repercussions still reverberating in the Cote D’ Ivoire press, the events took another turn during the first week of March when apparently, a letter was sent to Bollore by the ministry of economic infrastructure, normally responsible for concessioning and privatisation agreements. The letter apparently states that the contract with Bollore is not binding and as far as the ministry is concerned, has not been sanctioned either them anyone else in government.

What happens next remains to be seen.

One thing that is clear is in a country that is separated by an unresolved civil war and supported by the French Government, it’s certainly a bold stand that has been made in the name of transparency and best commercial practice.