COTE D'IVOIRE Debt Treatment - November 15, 2011

• repayment of non ODA credits over 23 years , with 6 years of grace
• repayment of ODA credits over 40 years with 16 years of grace

On an exceptional basis, considering the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire’s limited capacity of payment, creditors have also agreed to defer and reschedule over a ten-year period the repayment of maturities due by the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on short term and post-cut off date debts; and, over an eight-year period the arrears on those claims.

They also agreed to defer all the interest due on the amounts treated. Participating creditors welcomed that these measures are expected to reduce the debt service (including the arrears) due by the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to Paris Club creditors between 1st July 2011 and 30 June 2014 by more than 78% which corresponds to 1 822 million USD, of which 397 million USD cancelled.

possibility to conduct debt swaps

On a voluntary and bilateral basis, the Government of each Participating Creditor Country or its appropriate institutions may sell or exchange, in the framework of debt for nature, debt for aid, debt for equity swaps or other local currency debt swaps:

(i) the amounts of outstanding loans as regards ODA loans;

(ii) the amounts of other outstanding credits, loans and consolidations, up to 20% of the amounts of outstanding credits as of 30 September 1991 or up to an amount of SDR 30 million, whichever is higher.

good will clause

Given the decision by Paris Club Creditors to contribute to the exceptional assistance in favour of the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative, the Participating Creditor Countries declare their readiness in principle to hold a meeting following the Completion Point designed to examine the question of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire’s outstanding debt stock and to make the necessary effort in favour of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to allow it to reach the objective of its debt sustainability in the context of an equitable burden sharing among creditors, provided that:

- the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire maintains satisfactory relations with the Participating Creditor Countries and a sound adjustment track record;

- the Executive Boards of the IMF and the IDA decide that the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire has reached its Completion Point under the enhanced HIPC initiative.

Phases

• First phase : From July 01, 2011 up to June 30, 2012 implemented at the signature of the agreement
• Second phase : From July 01, 2012 up to June 30, 2013 not implemented yet
• Third phase : From July 01, 2013 up to June 30, 2014 not implemented yet

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire was declared eligible to the Enhanced HIPC initiative by the IDA and the IMF in 2008 and was declared to have reached its Decision Point in March 2009. In this context, the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire commits to seek promptly from all its external creditors which are not participating in the Agreed Minutes dated 15 November 2011, their appropriate contribution in terms of debt relief to the enhanced HIPC initiative, on top of traditional debt relief mechanisms and consistent with the proportional burden sharing based on their relative exposure in net present value of total external debt at Decision Point after the full use of traditional debt relief mechanisms.

The appropriate nature of the debt relief provided will be assessed not only on the basis of the reduction in the net present value of the debt as computed under Appropriate Market Rate, but also on the terms of repayment of the debts not cancelled. For this purpose, all relevant elements will be taken into account, including the level of cash payments received by those creditors as compared to their share in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire’s external debt, the nature and characteristics of all treatment applied, including debt buy backs, and all characteristics of the reorganized claims and in particular their repayment terms whatever forms they take and in general the financial relations between the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and creditor countries not listed in the Agreed Minutes dated 15 November 2011.

Consequently, the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire commits not to accord any category of creditors -and in particular creditor countries not participating in the Agreed Minutes dated 15 November 2011, commercial banks, suppliers, bondholders and litigating creditors- a treatment more favourable than that accorded to the Participating Creditor Countries.

Participating creditors

Observers

Press release