Patrick Achi

Ivorian politician
Patrick Achi
Achi in 2021
Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire
In office
8 March 2021 – 17 October 2023
PresidentAlassane Ouattara
Preceded byHamed Bakayoko
Succeeded byRobert Beugré Mambé
Personal details
Born (1955-11-17) 17 November 1955 (age 68)
Paris, France
Political partyRally of the Republicans

Patrick Jérôme Achi (born 17 November 1955) is an Ivorian politician who served as Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from March 2021 to October 2023 in President Alassane Ouattara's government.[1] He is a member of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR). He studied at Supélec and Stanford University and specialises in engineering and infrastructure. He has also worked as the government spokesman for President Alassane Ouattara.[2]

Prior to this he was Secretary General of the Presidency from January 2017, before being promoted to Minister of State, while simultaneously serving as Executive Secretary of the National Council for Economic Policy responsible for the oversight and execution of the 2030 Strategic Plan and the 5-year government program "Côte d'Ivoire Solidaire 2021-2025", a responsibility he retained as Prime Minister.[3]

On 13 April 2022, PM Achi resigned,[4] along with his government, but was reinstated by President Ouattara before being removed on 6 October 2023[5] with the dissolution of the Ivorian government. Achi officially resigned for a second time on 18 October 2023.

Early life and education

Achi, born in Paris to an Ivorian father (from the Attié tribe located in the South region) and a French Breton mother. He was educated in France and the United States.

Achi holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the Université de Cocody in Abidjan, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from École Supérieure d'Électricité de Paris (SUPELEC) and a Master of Science degree in Management from Stanford University, California.

Private sector career

In 1983, he began his career as Consultant with Arthur Andersen in their Paris office.[6]

In 1988, he relocated to the Abidjan office as a Director in the Consulting Division for French-speaking West and Central Africa before founding his firm, Strategie & Management Consultants in 1992.

Political career

Between 2010 and 2017, Achi was Minister of Economic Infrastructure for the governments of successive Prime Ministers Guillaume Soro (2010–2012), Jeannot Ahoussou-Kouadio (2012) and Daniel Kablan Duncan (2012–2017).[7]

Achi was appointed acting prime minister on 8 March 2021 to assume the duties of Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko, who had been hospitalized.[8] Bakayoko died two days later.[9] Achi was appointed as the Prime Minister on 26 March 2021 by President Ouattara.[10][11] In this capacity, he emerged as a key figure in discussions to resolve a large power generation deficit that had strained electricity supplies in urban areas for several weeks.[12]

On 13 April 2022, he and his government resigned.[13] On 19 April, he was reappointed as Prime Minister by President Ouattara but with a cabinet reshuffle and the formation of a second government.[14]

Ouattara removed Achi from his position on 6 October 2023 and dissolved his government. Achi officially resigned in 18 October same year.[15]

After leaving government, Achi devoted his time to his role as President of the Regional Council of La Mé. He was appointed President of the Regional Council of La Mé for the first time in 2013.[16]

International diplomacy and outreach

In his capacity as Minister of Economic Infrastructure and later Prime Minister, Patrick Achi represented Côte d'Ivoire at economic, investment and development focused African and international conferences, round tables and forums. These include :

  • Forum Afrique, Paris, France, 10 June 2021 : focusing on Côte d'Ivoire's economic resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic and its 2021 economic outlook.
  • MEDEF Forum, Paris, France, 19 August 2021 : discussions on challenges and opportunities for Côte d'Ivoire.[18]
  • Expo 2020, Dubai, UAE, 25 November 2021 : presentation of Côte d'Ivoire's successes and opportunities to UAE, Gulf and Asian investors.[19]
  • 8th TICAD, Tunis, Tunisia, 26–28 August 2022 : high-level discussions on Africa's development.[21]
  • IMF Annual Meetings, Washington, DC, USA, 10–16 October 2022 : Led the Ivorian delegation to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings. Met with World Bank President David Malpass, who reaffirmed the Bank's support for the country's Vision 2030 development strategy.[22] Mr Achi also had a discussion on global challenges and their impact on Africa with Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF.
  • Accra Initiative Summit, Accra, Ghana, 22 November 2022 : African Heads of State summit during which the EU and Gulf of Guinea countries strengthened cooperation in the fight against terrorism and for regional development.[23]
  • Working visit, Paris, France, 21–24 February 2023 : Met key political figures including Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, to discuss economic cooperation and support for major projects such as the Abidjan Metro and Abidjan airport extension. Met with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to discuss Franco-Ivorian friendship and partnerships, youth employment, agriculture, environmental protection and economic investment.
  • Africa CEO Forum, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 5–6 June 2023 : opening ceremony speech on the importance of building and identifying African champions.[24]
  • Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, Paris, France, 22–23 June 2023 : took part in discussions setting the foundations for a new global financing architecture beyond the Bretton Woods system to address climate change, the biodiversity crisis and development challenges.[25]

Other activities

Personal life

On 16 April 2020, Achi announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was self-isolating until further notice.[28] In May 2021, he was flown to Paris due to "severe fatigue" and for medical checks.[29] He has 5 children.[30] Achi's mother, Marianne Le Du died in France in November 2023.[31]

References

  1. ^ "Ivory Coast: Achi reappointed PM, regional bank chief named VP". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  2. ^ "Patrick Achi profile". London: Guardian. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  3. ^ "S.E. Patrick ACHI". Africa CEO Forum 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  4. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire: Prime Minister Patrick Achi has resigned". The Africa Report.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  5. ^ "Ivory Coast president removes prime minister, dissolves government". Reuters. October 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "keynote-mr-patrick-achi | EIS Africa". Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  7. ^ "Cote D'Ivoire — Central Intelligence Agency." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. CIA, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <"Cote d'Ivoire — Central Intelligence Agency". Archived from the original on 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2007-08-29.>.
  8. ^ Savana, Albert (2021-03-08). "Cote d'Ivoire: Hamed Bakayoko (temporarily) relieved of his duties". Kapital Afrik. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  9. ^ Aboa, Ange (March 8, 2021). "Ivory Coast President Ouattara names Patrick Achi as interim prime minister". news.yahoo.com. Reuters. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "Ivory Coast's Ouattara names Patrick Achi as prime minister". Al Jazeera. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Ivory Coast: New prime minister appointed". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  12. ^ Ange Aboa (May 15, 2021), Ivory Coast PM in 'good shape' after return from France Reuters.
  13. ^ "Ivory Coast prime minister and government resign". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  14. ^ "Ivory Coast: Achi reappointed PM, regional bank chief named VP". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  15. ^ "Ivory Coast president removes prime minister, dissolves government". Reuters.
  16. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire's RHDP party seeks new candidate after Coulibaly's death". The Africa Report.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  17. ^ "2021 Invited guests – World Policy Conference". Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  18. ^ "The economic Francophonie meets in Paris". Société Générale (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  19. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire National Day celebrated at Expo 2020 Dubai". African Union Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  20. ^ "Davos Forum: Ivorian PM on key challenges to watch out for in Africa". Africanews. 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  21. ^ "The 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8): Sharing JICA's efforts in Africa, a continent facing complex crises | Press Releases | News & Features | JICA". www.jica.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  22. ^ "Readout from World Bank Group President David Malpass's Meeting with Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire". World Bank. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  23. ^ Ògúnmọ́dẹdé, Chris Olaoluwa (2022-12-19). "West Africa Is Replicating France's Failed Security Strategy". World Politics Review. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  24. ^ "Africa CEO Forum 2023: Navigating the crises". The Africa Report.com. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  25. ^ Olufemi Terry (23 Jun 2023). "African governments, partners express support for Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa toward target of mobilizing $500 million". www.afdb.org.
  26. ^ fatshimetrie (2023-07-30). "Meeting of Ivorian and Congolese Prime Ministers to strengthen ties during the Games of La Francophonie". Fatshimetrie. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  27. ^ Board of Governors International Monetary Fund (IMF).
  28. ^ "Close ally of Ivory Coast leader contracts coronavirus". DispatchLIVE.co.za. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Ivory Coast prime minister in hospital in France for tests". Reuters. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  30. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire : Biographie du nouveau 1er ministre Patrick Jérôme Achi | FratMat". www.fratmat.info. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  31. ^ "Patrick Achi's mother has passed away: First Lady Dominique Ouattara offers her condolences to the former Prime Minister". Dominique Ouattara. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of the Ivory Coast
2021–2023 		Succeeded by
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