Cotonou forum: local savings as West Africa’s financial sovereignty engine
In Cotonou, Benin, a regional forum has put local savings at the center of West Africa’s financial sovereignty. Held on September 17–18, 2026, the second edition of the Regional Shareholding Forum brought together institutional players, business leaders, and market specialists. They called for a deep shift in investment habits across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
Under the theme ‘Shareholding and Financial Sovereignty: Mobilizing Savings to Accelerate Economic Transformation,’ the event, co-organized by UCA SGI and Dimensions GROUP, highlighted a persistent paradox: despite dynamic growth in the UEMOA zone, regional financial markets still struggle to fully capture domestic savings.
Democratizing the stock market culture
For organizers and regulators, the message is clear: strengthening popular shareholding is a decisive lever. Turning often dormant savings—or those parked in very short-term investments—into productive capital would provide local SMEs and large groups with the equity they need to expand.
Key focus areas
The forum’s discussions centered on several major axes:
- Access to capital markets: Facilitating stock market listings for local companies and boosting the Regional Stock Exchange (BRVM).
- Inclusion and innovation: Leveraging 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 sustainably channel savings toward financing infrastructure and the private sector.
A strategic sovereignty issue
Representatives from the BCEAO, the UEMOA Commission, and the Financial Markets Authority stressed the structural nature of this approach. By making local economies’ financing more autonomous, states and businesses in the sub-region strengthen their resilience against external shocks and international market volatility.
As the proceedings concluded on Friday in Cotonou, participants agreed on the urgency of encouraging every citizen to become a direct player in regional economic growth through shared investment.
