ABIDJAN-- Ivory Coast has received authorisation from the United States to start direct flights between the two countries, officials said on Saturday, boosting the West African nation's hopes of becoming a regional transport hub.
The world's top cocoa producer, Ivory Coast is emerging from a decade-long political crisis that ended in a brief civil war in 2011, and is now attracting investors again. The African Development Bank moved its headquarters back to the commercial capital Abidjan last year, after an 11-year hiatus.
Ivory Coast's economy has seen a renaissance under President Alassane Ouattara's stewardship, averaging annual growth of around 9 percent. Ouattara, widely expected to be re-elected in a vote due in October, wants to push ahead with plans to make
Abidjan a hub for air travel in Africa.
A senior official at Ivory Coast's National Civil Aviation Authority said the U.S. Transportation Security Administration had given the green light for direct flights.
REUTERS
