(Ecofin Agency) - Côte d'Ivoire has just inaugurated a wharf with a value of FCFA 29 billion in the fishing port of Abidjan. Measuring 1060 metres long, the infrastructure which stretches over 8.2 hectares is the culmination of the first phase of this port modernisation project.

In the coming months, the country will invest FCFA 15 billion in the creation of 10 hectares of industrial land, emphasised Alerte Info. For Côte d'Ivoire, the modernisation of the Abidjan fishing port is part of a dynamic which ultimately aims at self-sufficiency in fish products in the Ivorian nation. Underlining the importance of the challenge for the country, the Ivorian Prime Minister Kablan Duncan, who inaugurated this wharf recalled that "fish is the principle source of animal protein for Ivorians, who consume almost 50% of their consumption in animal proteins."

Côte d'Ivoire only produces 180,000 tons of the 450,000 tons of fish products that is consumed annually.