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Ambassador for the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Her Excellency Boa Liliane Marie Laure was in Kuala Lumpur
last week officially installed Mr Anthony Wong as the Honorary Consul in Malaysia for the West African nation.
Speaking
of the appointment, Her Excellency welcomed the opportunity to develop stronger ties between Côte d’Ivoire and Malaysia and praised Mr Wong for his efforts
in promoting tourism in Malaysia. The Ambassador is based in Japan with responsibilities for several countries including Malaysia.
In accepting the appointment Mr Wong said he would work hard to promote the interests of both countries and looked forward to taking a
small delegation to Côte d’Ivoire in September to explore several possible new links especially in the tourism industry.
Mr Anthony Wong has thrived on enthusiasm and adventure since he was 17 years old growing up in Malaysia. In 1976, he and a team of
enthusiastic adventurers established Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel (AOS) to promote nature and culture tours within the country
to foreign visitors. His life is guided by his favourite motto: Don’t go where the path leads, rather go where there’s no path and leave a trail.
Driven by this ambition, he has guided and directed the company into being one of Malaysia’s leading travel companies that is involved in
all sectors of the tourism industry.
His experience and effort to promote the Malaysian tourism industry have been recognised not only locally but internationally as his advice
is often sought from around the world and he is frequently invited to give talks and seminars on issues related to the travel industry.
The Republic of the Côte d’Ivoire is located in West Africa and is bordered by Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana and to the
south, the Gulf of Guinea. While also known in English as the Ivory Coast the preferred name is Côte d’Ivoire. The country was once a
French protectorate and then a colony before attaining independence in 1960. Its capital is Yamoussoukro (population 120,000) while
Adidjan (population two million) is the largest city and the administrative capital. Its economy is largely market based that relies on
agriculture with smallholder cash crop production dominating. Coffee, cocoa, palm oil, timber and mining are
important sectors of the economy. The country’s population is currently estimated to be 18.5 million.
There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country – Tai National Park, Comoé National Park and, Mount Nimba Strict Nature
Reserve. Tai NP protects the single largest tract of undisturbed lowland tropical rainforest in West Africa. Comoé is one of the largest
protected areas in West Africa and is home to various habitats including thick shrub savannah and patches of primary rainforest. It is also
home to the largest remaining elephant herds in the country. Mount Nimba at 1,752m is the highest point in the country but being a strict
reserve is a protected home for flora and fauna and off limits to tourists.
Another important attraction in the country is Africa’s largest church, the Basilica of Yamoussoukro which was officially consecrated by
Pope John Paul 11 in 1990. The church is larger than St Peter’s in Rome.
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