CLOSING THE TRADE FINANCE GAP FOR AFRICAN SMES WORKSHOP LOGISTICS NOTE 19 th - 20 th June 2018 Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire
1. Registration for the Workshop REGISTRATION FORMALITIES All participants are invited to register with the MFW4A Secretariat (at secretariat@mfw4a.org and b.sekgororoane@afdb.org) and should receive confirmation to participate in the Workshop. 2. Suggested Date of Arrival: Monday 18 th June 2018 Participants should plan to arrive in Abidjan (Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport) by Monday 18 th June, and depart either on Wednesday 20 th, June after closing, or the following day on Thursday 21 st, June. 3. Visa and entry requirements A visa is required for entry into Côte d Ivoire except for ECOWAS member countries and visa exempted countries as outlined below: ECOWAS Member States include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Other countries not subject to visa requirements are: Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Morocco, Mauritania, Seychelles, Singapore, Chad, Tunisia and the Philippines. The AfDB facilitates point-of-entry visa letters prepared by the Government of Cote d Ivoire to each participant. We request non-sponsored participants to send copies of their passport and flight bookings to prepare these letters. Four (4) working days are required for the preparation of the visa letter. *Sponsored participants should indicate in their acceptance communication, their travel dates to facilitate their flight bookings, and additionally send copies of their passports. The entry visa for Côte d Ivoire can be obtained either in person from Consulates or Embassies of Côte d Ivoire in the applicant s country of residence or online through the link www.snedai.com with a payment of approximately EUROS 74. When completing your application forms you may use the following information: Purpose of the visit: MFW4A/AfDB TFI Workshop Contact person: Mr. Mohamed Agrebi, Senior Operations Officer, Making Finance Work for Africa, African Development Bank Group, Immeuble CCIA, Rue Jean Paul II, Abidjan, Côte d Ivoire. Telephone: +225 20 26 3567 4. Vaccination Requirements A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to enter the country and should be presented upon arrival. Malaria risk exists in Abidjan. You may take prescription medicine before, during and after your trip to prevent malaria. In case of emergency, the AfDB medical emergency number is: +225 01 37 64 64
5. Accommodation Sponsored participants will be accommodated at the Ibis Hotel Plateau, Abidjan. The cost of all accommodation for sponsored participants will be covered by the MFW4A Secretariat. Non-sponsored participants are to make direct bookings with their preferred hotel and will be required to guarantee their payment by credit card upon check-in at the hotel. Please note that hotel reservations are subject to room availability, so early registration is encouraged. Suggested Hotels The rates indicated below are based on a single occupancy rate (preferential rates for AfDB): Accor Hotel Group: Hôtel Ibis plateau: 63,000 XOF bed and breakfast (Recommended 300 meters from the Conference Venue). Hotel Novotel Plateau: 105,000 XOF bed and breakfast. Hôtel Sofitel: 121,500 XOF - Classic Room, 136 500 XOF Superior Room. Bed without breakfast. Contact Details for Accor Hotels: ABIDJAN.RESERVATION@accor.com Tiama Hotel: Tiama Hotel: 125,000 XOF bed and breakfast Contact Details for Tiama Hotel: reservation@hotel.tiama.ci Seen Hotel: Seen Hotel: 81,000 XOF bed and breakfast Contact details for Seen Hotel: Telephone: +225 20 00 67 00, www.seenhotels.com 6. Transport to and from the Airport Hotels provide airport transfers through their own shuttle service. If you wish to travel by taxi, please book a car on AfriCab s website at http://africab.com/en. Non-sponsored delegates will be required to arrange their own transportation to and from Felix Houphouet Boigny Int'l Airport and their/the hotel. 7. Meals Hotel prices listed above include bed and breakfast, except for Sofitel. Lunch will be supplied on each day of the Workshop at CCIA. Mid-morning and afternoon teas will also be served daily. The
costs of dinner will be covered by individual participants, and for sponsored participants a daily subsistence allowance will be provided. 8. Currency Exchange The local currency is the franc CFA (XOF). The exchange rates as of June 2018 are: US Dollars 1 USD= 557 FCFA Euro 1 Euro= 656 FCFA Pound Sterling 1 GBP= 746 FCFA 9. Electricity Wall outlets in Côte d Ivoire are Two Pin plugs Type C (CEE 7/16 Europlug) and Type E (CEE 7/5 Schuko and supply electricity at 220 volts AC / 50 Hz frequency. 10. Weather in Abidjan in December The climate is tropical with an average relative humidity above 80%. The average temperature in June is Celsius 28 C (82 F). March to July is the long rainy season.
WORKSHOP INFORMATION A. Workshop Venue The 2018 Closing the Trade Finance Gap for African SMEs Workshop will take place at: African Devlopment Bank (AfDB) Immeuble CCIA Room 1H Rue Jean Paul II 01 B. P. 1387, Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire B. Registration Registration of participants for the Workshop will begin on Tuesday 19th June 2018, from 08:00 to 08:30 am, at CCIA. Participants will be required to present the invitation at registration. All participants will need some form of photo identification (e.g. passport or driving license) to get their badge/pass and access the African Development Bank (AfDB) building. C. Meeting Languages The working languages of the meetings are English and French. Simultaneous translation will be available for all sessions. D. Telecommunication Facilities Free WIFI access will be made available to all participants attending the Workshop. Participants will be responsible for the purchase of their own SIM cards from any of the mobile operators (MTN, Orange, MOOV). E. Further Information For general enquiries or assistance in advance or during the meetings, please contact: Mr. Mohamed Agrebi Senior Operations Officer Office Phone: +225 20 26 35 67 E-mail: m.o.agrebi@afdb.org Ms. Boipelo Sekgororoane Associate Financial Sector Advisor Office Phone: +225 20 26 53 87 E-mail: b.sekgororoane@afdb.org We wish you a pleasant stay in Abidjan.