China to invest in Cote d'Ivoire's ICT sector

China plans to invest soon in Cote d'Ivoire's new information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, according to an official statement obtained by Xinhua here on Tuesday.

The statement, in reference to the recent visit to China by Bruno Kone, Cote d'Ivoire's government spokesman and ICT minister, said the official held meetings with different people and the discussions will soon be concretized through investments in the West African country's ICT sector.

According to the statement, the objective of the minister's visit was to learn about the expertise, the potential and the technical capacities of the Chinese company Huawei, which has a subsidiary in Cote d'Ivoire.

The minister and his delegation visited the Huawei center for research and development in China's southern city Shenzhen, where they learnt about the quality and the different technological solutions given to the government in terms of public security, e- government, data transmission and the new products of Huawei.

"The visit was also an opportunity for the ICT minister and Vice-president of HUAWEI Technologies Junfeng Guo to sign two agreements regarding the laying of the national network of the fiber optic cable and the e-Cote d'Ivoire project," the statement said.

It also disclosed that the meeting between the two sides discussed the possibility of setting up a West African regional research, innovation and training center in Cote d'Ivoire.

Several members of the Cote d'Ivoire government have visited China under the auspices of reinforcing bilateral cooperation between the two countries.