Spotlight | Ivory Coast
Abidjan's fine financial balancing act for acquiring new arms

The New Guard
Ivory Coast, Namibia, Algeria

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

Ivory CoastSimon Seroussi, Israel's new ambassador

NamibiaFrieda Mukufa, a poet with a clear commitment

AlgeriaSelma Bakhta Mansouri, Tebboune's understudy on the continent

Ivory Coast
Army returns leased Airbus helicopters to rightful owners

Ivory Coast's armed forces recently terminated their lease on three Airbus H125 helicopters, returning them to their respective owners.

Senegal
Emirati company Calidus prospects for military aircraft orders in Dakar

The Abu Dhabi-based, state-controlled defence company is looking to sell its training or light attack aircraft to the Senegalese Air Force.

Ivory Coast
Turkey's Otokar sells more military vehicles to Abidjan

Turkish armoured vehicle manufacturer Otokar was in early September finalising two contracts to provide equipment to the Ivorian military and gendarmerie.

Ivory Coast
Thales keen to dot northern border with its radar

Thales is prospecting in Abidjan in the hope of selling a batch of surveillance radars. This summer, top military brass met a sales team sent by the French defence giant.

Ivory Coast
Gendarmerie projects undercut by budget restrictions

The shortage of funds is delaying a major project to boost the gendarmerie's capacities.

Ivory Coast
Army pays price for hefty Africa Cup expenditure

Following substantial investment in organising Africa's top football tournament, the government is in arrears to its defence suppliers. And this is having a knock-on effect on the army.

Ivory Coast
Security forces buy further drones to patrol northern border and Africa Cup of Nations

The Ivorian gendarmerie has acquired Chinese and Hungarian drones, as well as anti-drone systems from France - and it's all to secure the northern border when Abidjan hosts the Africa Cup of Nations tournament next year.

Ivory Coast
From Israeli ships to telecoms, broker Kevin Guyonnet is breaking into all kinds of business

The Ivorian broker Kevin Guyonnet is hugely successful in Abidjan. Having organised, with Gaby Peretz, the order of two Israeli patrol boats for the navy, the businessman is branching out into financial deals, telecoms and health services.

Ivory Coast
Steve Bokhobza brokers helicopters for Ivorian army under alias of David Nakash

Abidjan's recent hiring and acquisition of H125 helicopters for the armed forces was arranged by Magen-ta Solutions, a Spanish firm created by Steve Bokhobza, a controversial defence equipment broker with dual French-Israeli citizenship who now goes by the name of David Nakash.