IVORY COAST FINANCE MINISTER, KONAN BEDIE, OPENED A DISCUSSION ON DEVELOPMENT AID IN ABIDJAN ON TUESDAY BETWEEN WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND A WORLD BANK COMMISSION HEADED BY FORMER CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, LESTER PEARSON.

THE PEARSON COMMISSION IS PART OF A WORLD WIDE INQUIRY INTO THE RESULTS OF 20 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT AID, WITH THE AIM OF DISCOVERING MISTAKES AND SUGGESTING IMPROVEMENTS.

THIS THREE DAY CONFERENCE, GROUPS CAMEROUN, IVORY COAST, GAMBIA, GHANA, UPPER VOLTA, MALI, MAURITANIA, NIGER, SENEGAL, SIERRA LEONE AND TOGO.

MR. PEARSON, ACCOMPANIED BY SIR ARTHUR LEWIS, AN EMINENT ECONOMIST, AND SIGNOR ROBERTO DE OLIVERA CAMPOS, FORMERLY BRAZIL'S AMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON, EMPHASISED NECESSITY OF FRANK SPEAKING, IN HIS OPENING SPEECH AT THE IVORY HOTEL. AFRICAN DELEGATES, HE SAID, SHOULD NOT HOLD THEIR PUNCHES DURING THE TALKS.

SOURCES CLOSE TO THE CONFERENCE SAID RAW MATERIALS HAD FIGURED IN THE TALKS.

THE COMMISSION WILL HOLD A SIMILAR SESSION FOR EAST AFRICAN COUNTRIES IN KAMPALA, UGANDA, NEXT WEEK.