A defining moment for West Africa’s financial future
In a decisive push to tackle development financing gaps and cut reliance on external capital, West African leaders and market players have made a bold call to turn local savings into the driving force of regional financial sovereignty. Meeting in Cotonou from 17 to 18 September 2026 for the second edition of the Regional Shareholding Forum, institutional actors, business leaders and market specialists urged a profound transformation of investment habits across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
Held under the theme “Shareholding and financial sovereignty: mobilising savings to accelerate economic transformation,” the event was co-organised by UCA SGI and Dimensions GROUP. It highlighted a stubborn paradox: despite dynamic growth in the UEMOA zone, regional financial markets still struggle to fully capture domestic savings.
Building a shareholding culture from the ground up
For organisers and regulators, the message is clear: strengthening popular shareholding is a decisive lever. Turning savings that often sit idle or chase ultra-short-term placements into productive capital would give small and medium-sized enterprises and large local groups the equity they need to expand.
The forum’s work focused on several key areas:
- Access to capital markets: Making it easier for local companies to go public and boosting the Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM).
- Inclusion and innovation: Using digital tools to bring investment opportunities closer to the general public and promote financial education.
- Regulatory framework and public policies: Adapting tax and legal systems to steer savings durably towards financing infrastructure and the private sector.
A strategic sovereignty challenge
Representatives from the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), the UEMOA Commission and the Financial Markets Authority stressed the structural nature of this drive. By making the financing of local economies more autonomous, states and businesses in the sub-region strengthen their resilience to external shocks and international market volatility.
As the talks wrapped up on Friday in Cotonou, participants agreed on the urgent need to encourage every citizen to become a direct player in regional economic growth through shared investment.
