ABIDJAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Ivorian government has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting local products and enhancing local industrial processing during the third edition of the "Made in Cote d'Ivoire" Fair, which opened Wednesday in Abidjan.

With around 20 sectors on display and 160 exhibitors at about 100 stands, the Abidjan exhibition center has, for five days, taken on the appearance of a hypermarket for local products.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Souleymane Diarrassouba highlighted the fair as an "excellent platform for the economic development of Cote d'Ivoire," as it displayed the country's industrial transformation efforts and the expertise of local private sectors in agriculture, cuisine, fashion, cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, culture, and literature.

Diarrassouba urged local businesses to prioritize local products in their consumption habits to strengthen the resilience of the Ivorian economy and make it more inclusive and job-creating for the youth.

Adama Bictogo, president of the National Assembly, emphasized the need to change the production, local processing, marketing, and consumption habits of local products.

"We need to achieve our food sovereignty, which invites us to produce what we consume and to consume what we produce, a process that includes prioritizing local production of our diverse products to meet the consumption needs of our population," he added. Enditem