In a significant strategic shift for Côte d’Ivoire’s global presence, Nialé Kaba formally assumed her role as Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Monday, January 26, 2026.
This transition followed a major cabinet reshuffle on January 23, where President Alassane Ouattara reappointed Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and elevated his brother, Téné Birahima Ouattara, to the newly established position of Deputy Prime Minister. Kaba, an esteemed economist and the country’s first female Minister of Economy and Finance, takes over the diplomatic helm from outgoing Minister Léon Kacou Adom.
The handover ceremony, overseen by Permanent Secretary Roger Charlemagne Dah, highlighted both the achievements of the previous administration and the pressing priorities of the new one. In his farewell remarks, Léon Kacou Adom praised the modernization of the ministry’s infrastructure and the quality of its human resources, while identifying critical immediate files for his successor. These include the urgent management of irregular migration and the successful execution of the upcoming African Union Summit, scheduled for mid-February 2026.
Accepting her new mandate, Minister Kaba outlined a comprehensive roadmap centered on the Ivorian Diplomacy Strategic Plan 2026–2030. Her vision is designed to transform Côte d’Ivoire’s international influence into a catalyst for domestic economic development. Amidst a backdrop of global geopolitical tensions and climate crises, Kaba identified four primary pillars for her tenure: enhancing the nation’s international prestige, fostering dynamic and mutually beneficial economic partnerships, deepening African integration, and ensuring the protection of Ivorian citizens living abroad.
By aligning the country’s foreign policy with the broader National Development Plan (PND 2026-2030), Kaba aims to position Côte d’Ivoire as a leading voice on the world stage. The ceremony concluded with a call for institutional rigor and dedication, signaling a new chapter in the nation’s pursuit of becoming an upper-middle-income country by the next decade.
AP/Sf/fss/abj/APA