President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a Congratulatory Message to the President of Côte d’Ivoire, His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara on that country’s 57^th Independence Anniversary on Monday, August 7.

France officially made Côte d’Ivoire a French colony in 1893 as it held it for its rich sources of exports like coffee, cocoa, and palm oil. Plantations were firmly in the hands of the French, and Ivoirians were led into forced labor for survival.

By 1956 voting was equal for everyone in Côte d’Ivoire, and in 1958 the country became by referendum an autonomous member of the French Community. Shortly after on August 7, 1960, Côte d’Ivoire declared itself independent from France.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, in the message to her counterpart, President Ouattara, and through him, the Government and people of Côte d’Ivoire, President Sirleaf extended warmest congratulations and best wishes on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia and in her own name on the occasion of that country’s 57^th Independence Anniversary.

“The people of Liberia still cherish your gracious acceptance of the honor of distinction which was wholeheartedly bestowed upon you on July 15, 2017, to express our appreciation for your leadership in promoting good neighborliness and for the deepening of relations between our two countries,” the Liberian leader said.

President Sirleaf furthered that as the people of Côte d’Ivoire commemorate this auspicious occasion, she looked forward to further strengthening the excellent bilateral ties enjoyed by both countries for the mutual benefit of our two peoples, especially within the framework of the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, as well as the Mano River Union.

She prayed that the Almighty God will endow His Excellency Mr. Ouattara with his manifold blessings as he leads his compatriots to sustainable peace and prosperity.