🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
BCEAO aims for stronger media partnership after UMOA economic journalists' seminar in Dakar
via Lefaso.net4 min read
The Central Bank of West African States BCEAO concluded a two-day seminar for economic journalists from the West African Monetary Union UMOA in Dakar on August 21, 2026. The seminar focused on major economic, monetary, and financial issues within the community, with the BCEAO reaffirming its commitment to strengthening ties with media professionals to foster a better understanding of policies and reforms. Habib Thiam, Secretary General of the BCEAO, praised the participation and relevance of discussions, noting the seminar deepened understanding of the BCEAO's missions, instruments, and strategic priorities amid a changing global economic landscape. Topics included monetary policy, financial stability, economic financing, financial inclusion, digital financial services, and payment system changes. Thiam emphasized the media's crucial role in providing reliable, rigorous, and contextualized information, making complex economic issues accessible to the public and preventing misinformation. Dominique Mabika, a journalist from Financial Afrik in Senegal, thanked the BCEAO for the initiative, highlighting how it enhanced journalists' knowledge of technical subjects and allowed direct engagement with policymakers. She stressed the responsibility of participants to act as relays for citizens, explaining mechanisms like the PI-SPI platform and BCEAO actions. The BCEAO aims for this seminar to be the start of a more regular dialogue with economic journalists, recognizing the increasin
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Must ReadThe BCEAO's 2025 annual report details a year of robust economic activity, controlled inflation, strengthened financial stability, and accelerated modernization of payment infrastructures within the West African Economic and Monetary Union UEMOA. In 2025, global growth reached 3.4%, matching 2024, while inflation decreased to 4.1% from 5.8% the previous year. UEMOA economies demonstrated notable adaptability, with a 6.7% increase in GDP in 2025, following 6.2% growth in 2024. This performance was driven by the services sector, dynamic extractive industries, and a successful agricultural campaign. A significant achievement in 2025 was the control of inflationary pressures, with the annual inflation rate in UEMOA falling to zero, down from 3.5% in 2024. This was attributed to lower international prices for imported food and energy products, and an improved local food supply. The Monetary Policy Committee of the BCEAO eased financing conditions on June 4, 2025, reducing the main policy rate from 3.50% to 3.25% and the marginal lending facility rate from 5.50% to 5.25%. This accommodative monetary policy supported economic financing, with bank credit to the private sector growing by 5.6% and credit to states increasing by 7.8%. The report also highlighted the resilience of the Union's financial system, with the banking sector maintaining solvency levels above regulatory requirements and the microfinance sector showing dynamism. A major institutional advancement was the designatio
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