By Andrew Kariuki
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has reshuffled his cabinet, retaining most senior ministers while appointing Defence Minister Tene Birahima Ouattara to the newly created position of vice prime minister.
The announcement was made on Friday, with Tene Birahima Ouattara set to hold the vice prime minister role in addition to his existing defence portfolio.
The move places the president’s younger brother higher in the government hierarchy but stops short of a wide-ranging cabinet overhaul.
Most key ministerial positions remained unchanged, a signal of policy continuity rather than a shift in direction.
The reshuffle comes after President Ouattara secured re-election in October, followed by his party’s victory in December’s legislative elections, which delivered a parliamentary majority.
Ouattara, 84, has been in power since 2011 and previously served as a deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund.
He has said that one of his priorities is to prepare the political landscape for a new generation of leaders.
The cabinet changes take place as Ivory Coast, the world’s leading cocoa producer, seeks to sustain nearly 15 years of economic expansion that has positioned it among West Africa’s fastest-growing economies.
