CEMAC Workshop in Abidjan Highlights Côte d’Ivoire’s Public Enterprise Governance Model

Abidjan has been hosting since May 18, 2026, a high-level regional workshop bringing together several leaders of public enterprises from member countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). Scheduled to run until May 21, 2026, the meeting is dedicated to performance monitoring and public enterprise governance, with a strong focus on the Ivorian experience.

At the opening session, Nicolas Beyeme Nguema, Commissioner in charge of Economic, Monetary and Financial Policies at CEMAC, highlighted the significant challenges faced by many public enterprises in the sub-region. He noted that companies operating in strategic sectors continue to struggle with operational inefficiencies, persistent financial weaknesses, and governance frameworks that are often not adapted to current requirements.

To address these challenges, CEMAC member states, with the support of the World Bank, have launched major reforms aimed at improving governance and performance monitoring of public enterprises. He particularly emphasized Côte d’Ivoire’s expertise in this area, which is attracting growing interest from participating delegations.

The workshop aims to promote experience-sharing and capacity-building on performance management mechanisms for public enterprises. Participants are especially looking to learn from Ivorian best practices to support the development of a harmonized regional framework within CEMAC.

At the end of the initial discussions, several recommendations emerged, including the harmonization of governance practices and the creation of an ad hoc working group to formalize this regional initiative.

Bamba Seydou reaffirmed his institution’s commitment to contributing to a common governance framework for public enterprises across the community.

Similarly, Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira, World Bank Operations Director in Côte d’Ivoire, praised the reforms undertaken by the Ivorian government, noting that several mechanisms implemented in Côte d’Ivoire are now serving as references for other African countries.

Opening the workshop, Mariatou Koné called for the establishment of an ad hoc committee at the end of the meeting to define practical steps for implementing and formalizing this regional initiative. She also reaffirmed her ministry’s readiness to support this collective effort.

Côte d’Ivoire has recorded encouraging results in the management of its public enterprises portfolio. Between 2021 and 2025, the overall turnover of Ivorian public enterprises increased from 2,718 billion CFA francs to 4,728 billion CFA francs, representing an average annual growth rate of 15%. Over the same period, net profits rose from 80 billion to 240 billion CFA francs, an average annual increase of 32%. Dividends paid to the State increased 2.8 times, rising from 34 billion CFA francs in 2021 to 97 billion CFA francs in 2024.