Israeli group Mitrelli switches lobbyist and hits jackpot

摘要

Israeli business partners Haim Taib and Eytan Stibbe, who have two decades of working in the DRC and Angola behind them, have been trying to implant their conglomerate Mitrelli in Ivory Coast for years (Africa Intelligence, 25/09/19). Largely unsuccessful to date, their efforts have suddenly begun to bear fruit in the run-up to the presidential election (although the death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly on 9 July has now cast a doubt on the electoral calendar). On 7 July, Mitrelli signed a FCFA256bn (€390m) contract to build and refurbish 349 health centres in the country. In April, at the height of the Covid- 19 pandemic, the firm signed a contract of CFAF98.3bn (€150m) for the installation of a drinking water system in 95 Ivorian communities.