Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, is hosting the 3rd Colloquium of the Professional Association of Credit Institutions (APEC)-Congo from Thursday, September 11 to Friday, September 12, 2025. The theme of the colloquium is "The Congolese banking system facing the challenges of today and tomorrow." The ceremony was opened by Léon Juste Ibombo, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, in the presence of, among others, Michel Dzombala, Vice-Governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). Calixte Tabangoli, President of APEC-Congo and Director General of the Postal Bank of Congo (BPC); and Serge Dino Daniel Gassackys, National Director of the BEAC (Bank of Central African States).

“The idea this year, as in the two previous years, is to shed light on issues that raise questions and that have the particularity of affecting each of the banks in our banking system. Issues related to the environment, artificial intelligence (AI), trust in our banking system, and the legal and judicial handling of incidents with counterparties are among the many concerns of the leaders of credit institutions in Congo,” explained the President of APEC at the official opening.

Following this ceremony, the participants began their panel discussions with the first sub-theme entitled: “Sustainable Financing and the Role of Banks in Environmental Protection,” presented by Michel Dzombala and Moulay Hassan Arezdi, Deputy Director General of Crédit du Congo. Through this discussion, the panel moderator, Calixte Tabangoli, posed two questions to each of the two panelists.

First, he asked Michel Dzombala about the actions undertaken by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) in the area of ​​sustainable finance. The Vice-Governor of this institution replied that “the BEAC and the Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC), as institutions of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), are committed to sustainable finance through several initiatives. The BDEAC finances development projects that integrate environmental and regional economic development concerns, while the BEAC promotes financial inclusion to achieve sustainable development by supporting the modernization of payment systems and the reduction of digital transaction costs.”

Regarding the question about Credit du Congo's Sustainable Financing Strategy, Moulay Hassan Arezdi, Deputy Managing Director of Credit du Congo, stated: “Credit du Congo's sustainable financing strategy focuses on aligning banking activities with national sustainable development goals. Specifically, this involves supporting non-oil sectors; promoting investment in agriculture, forestry, and infrastructure, leveraging partnerships with institutions such as the World Bank; and integrating environmental and social criteria into lending policies.”

The second sub-theme addressed “Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Opportunities and Challenges for the Banking Sector in Congo.”

Eric Armel N’Doumba, Coordinator of the African Center for Research in Artificial Intelligence (CARIA), in his presentation on the sub-theme of “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Congolese Economy,” began by thoroughly redefining the Congolese banking sector, which, according to him, is transforming skills, working methods, and the customer experience. However, he observed, this technological revolution cannot succeed without adaptation efforts. “Banks must address several challenges, such as supporting their teams in acquiring new skills; ensuring human oversight of algorithms; and complying with the regulatory framework of the AI ​​Act. This framework mandates rigorous management of AI-related risks, thus offering an opportunity to strengthen customer confidence,” the Coordinator concluded.

The Communication Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Public Portfolio