The event took place at the end of January 2021 with more than seventy participants. Among the invited guests were the Minister for Planning and Development, the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union, the Ambassador of Germany, the Ambassador of Israel as well as the KAS Programme Coordinators from Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo.
In view of the current situation, the annual stakeholder meeting took place in strict compliance with Covid-19 measures - masks and hand disinfectant were distributed and physical distancing rules were observed at the opening ceremony as well as at the reception in the garden.
In his opening speech, the director of the regional programme PDWA, Mr Florian Karner, welcomed the guests and thanked the partner organisations for the strong cooperation, despite the difficulties related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Karner also presented the most important KAS events and studies of the past year and gave a first interim assessment of the two EU co-financed projects that are implemented by KAS in Ivory Coast: "La Paix Par Moi” (PPM) and "Finances Publiques, Notre Affaire à Tous” (FIPNAT). At the end of his speech, the director of PDWA expressed his hope and stressed the importance of following the necessary measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic while remaining optimistic despite the difficult situation. His opening speech was followed by further remarks:
- Mr. Guigui Veto, President of the human rights organisation LIDHO (Ligue Ivoirienne des Droits de l'Homme): on behalf of the local civil society and as a representative of a partner organisation, he thanked KAS for supporting the work of civil society organisations in Ivory Coast and expressed his wish to continue to cooperate closely with KAS in the future.
- H.E. Ingo Herbert, Ambassador of Germany, emphasised the relevance of the foundation's work and expressed his satisfaction with the thematic focus since KAS cooperates with local partner organisations in order to strengthen democratic structures and good governance.
- H.E. Jobst von Kirchmann, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Ivory Coast, praised the cooperation with KAS in the framework of the two EU co-financed projects. In his speech, he particularly reiterated the EU's willingness to continue supporting local efforts towards strengthening good governance and sustainable development.
- Mrs. Nialé Kaba, Minister for Planning and Development, was pleased with the work of the foundation and stressed that KAS was providing considerable support to the Ivorian government in its efforts to meet the expectations of the population. She encouraged KAS to continue working on projects that strengthen democratic structures and expressed the wish for an intensified cooperation between Ivory Coast and KAS in the new year 2021.