ABIDJAN, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara on Sunday led the nation in marking the country's 56th independence anniversary.
The event was marked with 38 army units and special forces marching in their uniforms in front of the presidential palace in Abidjan.
Others in the parade included the national police, the Republican Guard and the international forces in Cote d'Ivoire such as the UN peacekeepers, French troops as well as a special battalion of the Cameroonian forces.
After the military parade, the festivities were followed by an award ceremony during which 22 individuals were honored with the Cote d'Ivoire Order of Merit.
Those honored included ministers, senior public administrators, university professors as well as artists.
In his traditional message that is delivered on the eve of the celebrations, Ouattara hailed the economic revival witnessed in Cote d'Ivoire, noting that the "country had achieved an economic miracle."
Cote d'Ivoire's economic performance has been impressive over the past four years with a robust GDP growth which resulted in a decline in poverty.
The country's GDP grew at the rate of 8.4 percent in 2015 and it is projected to reach 8.5 percent in 2016.
On the political front, Ouattara announced the creation of a post of vice-president to "guarantee peace and stability" in Cote d'Ivoire.
A former French colony, Cote d'Ivoire got its independence on Aug. 7, 1960.
