CANNES, France, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Investor confidence in Ivory Coast is returning and several private sector contracts have been signed in the past week in areas from real estate to energy, President Alassane Ouattara said on Saturday.

The West African state recently secured $8.6 billion from international donors to finance development after a civil war last year, triggered when Ouattara's predecessor refused to recognise an election defeat.

As part of a fundraising trip, Ivory Coast's prime minister had struck several deals in Paris, Ouattara told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Cannes.

'There were contracts signed in real estate, electricity production, hydroelectricity,' said Ouattara, who gave no details but said there were 'big contracts' on the way in the oil and mining sectors.

'Investor confidence is returning,' he said, citing previously announced investments by companies like oil major Total and conglomerate Bouygues.

(Reporting by Lionel Laurent; Editing by Vicky Buffery and Mark Trevelyan) Keywords: IVORYCOAST OUATTARA/

(lionel.laurent@thomsonreuters.com)(+33 1 49 49 56 85)(Reuters Messaging: lionel.laurent.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

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