Citizen Participation in the Fight Against Living Costs (CI0038)

Brief description of the commitment

The aim is to strengthen the involvement of consumer associations in the definition, implementation and evaluation of the annual strategy to fight high prices in order to take into account the concerns of the population and, above all, to ensure that they take ownership of the measures taken by the state.

Definition of the problem

1. What problem is the commitment intended to address? Since the advent of Covid, there has been inflation on basic necessities. Despite the government's efforts to reduce this inflation due to tensions on the international market, the population has not stopped grumbling and judging the government unable of preserving its purchasing power. Although the government has put in place a series of texts, mechanisms and measures to fight high prices, the lack of representation of civil society in decision making sometimes poses the problem of the inadequacy of decisions in the fight against high prices and the real needs of the population.

2. What are the causes of the problem? - Weak involvement of civil society in decision making; - Weak collaboration between the Administration and Civil Society in the annual elaboration of strategies to fight against high living cost.

Description of the commitment

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? Organization of working sessions with representatives of consumer association federations in order to better understand the feelings of the population on issues related to the high living cost and to collect their proposals.

2. What solution do you suggest? - Strengthening the participation of consumers through their federations of associations in the annual elaboration of the strategy to fight against high living cost; - Inclusion of consumers in the effective implementation of the measures taken by the Government to protect their purchasing power.

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment? - Citizen participation in the fight against living cost; - Citizen commitment in the fight against living cost.

Commitment analysis

1. How will promote transparency? - Participation of the consumer federations in the exchanges of the elaboration of the annual strategy of fight against living cost; - Effective implementation in the field of the decisions taken.

2. How will help foster accountability? Clear definition by the Administration and Civil Society of the structure responsible for the implementation and control of each decision to fight against high living cost.

3. How will improve citizen participation in defining, implementing and monitoring solutions? Involvement of civil society from the elaboration, implementation to the evaluation of decisions to fight against the high living cost.

Planning the commitment (Milestones | Expected results | Expected completion date)

1- Organize a workshop with the Civil Society in order to take note of its concerns and to collect its proposals for solutions | - The concerns of the Civil Society within the framework of the protection of purchasing power of populations are known; - Solutions for the protection of purchasing power are proposed by consumer associations. | January - February 2023

2- Develop the strategy to fight against high living cost | The strategy to combat the high cost of living is developed in collaboration with consumers and other stakeholders | February - March 2023

3- Implement the strategy to fight against high living cost | - The strategy to fight against the high of living cost is implemented ; - The purchasing power of the population is protected. | March 2023 to November 2023

4- Communicate on the measures adopted in the framework of the fight against high living cost through field visits, digital campaigns, TV shows and video spots. | The population is aware of the measures taken by the Government to fight against the high living cost and has adopted them | March 2023 to November 2023

5- Organize a workshop to evaluate and assess the strategy to fight against high cost of living | The workshop of evaluation and assessment of the strategy of Fight against the Expensive life is realized and the report is available | November 2023 - January 2024

Additional information The decree creating the NLCVC specifies that it identifies its members and gives the NLCVC a general consumer focus. Consumer groups such as the elderly, children and women are taken care of by the Ministry in charge of Solidarity with whom we work within a cell called the Enlarged Consultation Committee. To avoid conflicts of jurisdiction, the CNLVC only takes action on behalf of consumers in general. Moreover, the CNLVC's intermediary position between civil society and the government makes it a permanent forum for exchange. Civil society can thus refer to the CNLVC at any time for questions relating to the cost of living.

Action Plan Review

Commitment 3. Strengthen consumer participation in inflation decision-making

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Substantial

Commitment 3: Strengthen consumer participation in inflation decision-making [MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND SME PROMOTION / National Council for the Fight against the High Cost of Living (CNLVC)]

For a complete description of the commitment, see Commitment 3 in the action plan: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/cote-divoire-action-plan-2022-2024/.

Context and objectives:

Côte d’Ivoire, like many countries, is facing an inflation of basic food prices, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. [13] According to World Bank figures, [14] over the past 60 years, the inflation rate of consumer goods in Côte d’Ivoire has fluctuated between -1.3% and 27.4%. From 2019 onwards, the curve continued to increase, ranging from -1.11% to 4.10% (2021) through 2.43% (2020). The National Institute of Statistics (INS) of Côte d’Ivoire reported [15] that annual average inflation is 5.1% in January 2023, i.e., a rate above the community threshold of 3% set by West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

The Government has convened sectoral and regional forums to discuss, confirm, and communicate price regulation. [16] However, the Government, through the commitment holder, recognizes that the insufficient representativeness of civil society in decision-making sometimes raises the question of the inadequacy of decisions concerning inflation and the real needs of the population. This is why this commitment was proposed by the National Council for the Fight against the High Cost of Living (CNLVC) following public consultations and validated by the Government. It aims to strengthen the involvement of consumer associations in the definition, implementation, and assessment of the annual strategy to fight against the inflation in order to consider the concerns raised by the population and, above all, to increase their feeling of ownership of the measures taken by the Government.

The fight against inflation was identified by citizens during public consultations as a priority for inclusion in the action plan. Consequently, CNLVC agreed to this commitment to address public concerns. The commitment includes five milestones: (1) the organization of a workshop with civil society in order to take note of its concerns and to collect its proposals for solutions, (2) the development of a strategy to fight the high cost of living, (3) the implementation of the strategy, (4) the communication on the adopted measures, and (5) the organization of a workshop for the assessment of the strategy. The commitment aims to strengthen the participation of civil society in the decision-making process and also in the implementation of measures to combat the high cost of living.

Potential for results: Substantial

In response to cost-of-living increases, the Government has taken special measures in 2021, including “holding sectoral meetings with the various economic actors, regulating the prices of rice, refined palm oil, beef and flour, strengthening market surveillance and intensifying communication on prices and actions taken in the fight against high living costs” [17] or “the allocation of 155 million CFA francs in budgetary support to the 31 local committees to fight against high prices, chaired by regional prefects and composed of, among others, merchants and consumer associations; the intensification of communication, in order to inform consumers about prices, the availability of consumer products and changes in the prices of products and inputs on the international market.” [18] As the Government says, [19] these measures were taken in consultation with stakeholders including civil society.

The Government of Côte d’Ivoire established the CNLVC in 2017 by decree [20] with the remit of “coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the strategies to fight against high living costs defined by the Government.” [21] The CNLVC develops a matrix [22] of actions and measures adopted to fight against inflation each year. The representative [23] of the CNLVC noted that this matrix was previously “drawn up by associating the representatives of the ministerial departments concerned with the inflation, with a few consumer representatives.” Yet the CNLVC composition includes the consumer representatives across three governing bodies, Collaborative Council, the Technical Committee, and the Executive Secretariat. [24] According to the CNLVC representative, “the representatives of the civil society in the Council are not representative of all the components of the civil society” despite the presence according to him “of at least seven (7) federations of Associations of consumers.” Thus, the commitment allows “to widen the platform to include a little more civil society in the development of the matrix.” [25] This expansion is allowed by the decree that provides for the participation of more people as observers. It is expected that “in a consensual way a matrix to fight against inflation in which proposals from civil society will be taken into account so that the people take ownership of these measures.” [26]

Increasing civil society representation in the Council has the potential to strengthen citizen participation in decision-making, particularly through contributions during the development of the matrix. The Government plans to organize a workshop to collect the concerns of civil society and then involve them in the development of the strategy to fight inflation, namely the matrix. There is limited information on which civil society members will be invited to participate in the workshop or the development of the strategy, as the nature and scope of the expansion of civil society participation is not yet clearly defined. The Government noted that trade associations and civil society organizations representing consumers will be eligible to participate. [27] The Government also plans to involve and engage civil society in the implementation of the strategy by allowing them to keep a watchful eye on the situation and warn the relevant authorities in the event of failures to comply with the measures taken by the Government through a mobile application called “citizen control.” [28] The Minister of Commerce, Trade, and SMEs launched the application on May 8, 2023. [29] Similarly, the Government plans to assess the implementation of decisions taken with civil society by inviting it to an assessment workshop at the end of the implementation process in order to ensure accountability.

This commitment has a substantial potential to increase public participation and accountability of Government through greater civil society voice on an issue of national importance. Evidence of substantial early results at the end of the implementation period could include (i) broader participation of civil society, beyond the actors provided for in the CNLVC decree, (ii) the inclusion of the contribution of members of civil society in the final document of the matrix adopted by the Government, and (iii) evidence that CNLVC responded to and acted on proposals submitted by civil society and consumer organizations.

Implementation had already started at the time of writing. CNLVC held a workshop on February 14, 2023 to review the implementation of measures the Government has taken to fight inflation and to propose new measures to maintain the power purchase of the citizens. The CNLVC representative [30] states that at the end of this workshop and “(…) on the basis of our field surveys, we proposed a new matrix for the fight against inflation. The civil society took note of it, then within a week came back to us with its amendments, on the basis of which we worked and proposed to all the actors of the fight against the inflation, the final matrix of actions.” Civil society representatives [31] confirm that they participated in the meeting convened by the CNLVC. They stated that they did not participate in the development of the measures, but rather in their amendment within a timeframe that they considered short. They also regret that there is no motivation in terms of financial support for participants in CNLVC meetings, which limited participation. The Government notes that financial support to consumer protection associations was proposed and adopted at the meeting. [32] Finally, civil society reported that their representatives who participate in the meetings of the CNLVC are not sufficiently equipped to deal with the issues discussed and therefore do not participate actively. [33] The Government adds that consumer representatives to CNLVC are elected by civil society members. [34] CNLVC and consumer protection associations can consider how to train elected representatives to facilitate informed participation.

Opportunities, challenges, and recommendations during implementation

The public has called upon the OGP Technical Committee through public consultations on the need to act to reduce the inflation. The CNLVC seized this opportunity to make this commitment. Inflation is a topical issue in Côte d’Ivoire and has been considered “an absolute priority” since 2021 by the government and by the President of the Republic in his speech to the Ivorian nation in December 2021 [35] and December 2022. [36] Consequently, political will to advance this commitment exists.

One of the central challenges to implementation of this reform will be to balance the inclusion of diverse civil society voices on CNLVC while also working towards a consensus. On the issue of inflation, the civil society platforms do not know each other, do not have the same understanding of the situation, much less the Government’s response. Indeed, civil society organizations do not always agree on the assessment of the Government’s management of inflation. On the one hand, the URI, calling upon the population to demonstrate against the Government, had proposed solutions [37] to fight against inflation. On the other hand, the Platform for Citizen Engagement in Côte d’Ivoire (PEC-CI) disassociated itself from the URI’s approach, arguing that the inflation is worldwide, and Côte d’Ivoire is managing to get out of it, although there are still efforts to be made. [38] Therefore, it could be necessary to mediate between the respective positions to obtain the desired representativeness. In the same way, the other challenge will be to reach a consensus within the Council on recommendations to the government. In view of these challenges and to make the process sustainable, the IRM recommends the following:

● Revise the CNLVC decree [39] to diversify civil society members on CNLVC bodies. This could involve registering, after consensus, civil society platforms beyond consumer federations as sitting members to achieve a strong representation in quantity and quality of non-governmental members in the Council’s bodies. Representatives [40] of the consumer organizations believe that civil society could hold stronger positions in the Executive Secretariat, in particular the position of Deputy Executive Secretary.

● Engage diverse civil society platforms, such as the Ivorian Civil Society Platform of the OGP (PSCI-OGP), the platforms URI and PEC-CI and others active in the field of the fight against inflation to be interested in the question of the national strategy, to take part in the work of the bodies of CNLVC and eventually to identify their representative for the CNLVC.

● Sensitize and train civil society members of CNLVC on the mechanisms for developing the matrix and fighting the inflation so that they can actively participate in discussions on the measures to be adopted.

● Ensure civil society has an active role in the decision-making process. For example, CNLVC could clarify civil society’s role through guidelines, a handbook, or policies as appropriate. Government and civil society members could collaboratively identify how to strengthen the process through which the Government considers and acts on input from civil society.