Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, is hosting, for the first time, the CEMAC (Central African Economic and Monetary Community-SIIC) International Investor Week. This meeting, which is in its third edition, takes place from Thursday October 5 to Saturday October 7, 2023. The work was opened, Friday October 6, by Jean-Baptiste Ondaye, Congolese Minister of Economy and Finance, having to alongside Jacqueline Adiaba-Nkembé, President of the Central African Financial Market Supervisory Commission (COSUMAF).

“Investor resilience, risks associated with crypto assets and sustainable finance”, is the general theme under which this 3rd edition is placed, while the sub-theme focuses on “fraud prevention, basic notions in investment and digital finance.

In the opinion of the organizers, the general theme follows the contours of the issues of retail investor protection, while the sub-theme allows the main theme to be explored in greater depth.

Objectives of the SIIC

“In terms of marketing objectives, the SIIC aims to disseminate key messages which strengthen the financial culture of the Investor, in order to better protect them; providing investor learning and training opportunities. At the transversal level, the SIIC is a framework for collaboration and benchmarking between different regulators, in the field of education and investor protection,” declared Jacqueline Adia-Nkembé, in her speech for the occasion, at the opening ceremony.

For his part, Jean-Baptiste Ondaye indicated that “the objective of this ceremony which we wish to be marked with a particular imprint is to allow all the financing which may exist in the different CEMAC countries, but also in other regions of the world, can be mobilized to support the economic and social action of the public authorities of the CEMAC States, through optimal allocation of resources, particularly in the production of goods and services; better regulation of economic activity, in order to ensure balanced growth; and a redistribution of income, so as to reduce inequalities”.

The Congolese Minister of Economy and Finance took the opportunity to announce the main projects undertaken in the second phase devoted to the revitalization of the financial market in Central Africa, after the first phase of the said market, devoted to its merger decided by community authorities in October 2017. These projects cover five plans.

1. Firstly, in terms of regulation, this concerns the reform of the regulatory texts of the financial market and the institutional, organizational and operational audit of COSUMAF, aimed at optimizing the resources of the Regulator.
2. Secondly, in terms of market development, these projects concern the implementation of the Community Regulation, relating to the initial public offering of State participations in public companies, the development of new financial instruments with collective management and shares oriented towards the promotion of financial education and stock market culture.
3. Thirdly, for the Central African Securities Exchange (BVMAC), it is the implementation of the BVMAC Business plans, which resulted in the joint adoption of the BVMAC Restructuring Plan by the Board of Directors. administration of the BVMAC and the Steering Committee (COPIL) of the Economic and Financial Reform Program (PREF)-CEMAC.
4. Fourth, for the creation of the Single Central Depository (DCU), the main action retained is the production of a Business Plan for the DCU to be created. This activity was carried out and validated jointly by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and the PREF-CEMAC COPIL.
5. Fifth, upon proposal from the BEAC, the provisional mandate of the BEAC, as Single Central Depository (DCU), was extended for a period of two years, following the decision of the PREF-CEMAC COPIL of July 2022.

Other themes under debate

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