The parapublic institution is conducting financial modeling to launch a regulated long-term savings product. The initiative aims to attract a fraction of the $1.2 billion (approximately 652 billion CFA francs) transferred in 2024 by an estimated 500,000 passport holders and up to 6 million people in the wider community, representing nearly 20% of the national population.

The strategy for capturing long-term savings is hindered by regulatory constraints in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) zone. The governing texts of the Central African Banking Commission (COBAC) prohibit the CDEC from directly collecting deposits from individuals or marketing retail banking products. To circumvent this legal constraint, the public institution is positioning itself as a product designer and will partner with commercial banks and microfinance institutions to ensure operational collection. The technical plan, validated by an internal working group established on January 19, 2026, aims to secure funds that currently transit at 26% from the CEMAC zone, 20% from France, and 19% from the United States, and extract them from informal circuits and pure family consumption.

Access to diaspora capital will serve exclusively as a financing lever for the major projects of the National Development Strategy 2030 (SND 30). The technical feasibility study, conducted by the Onepoint firm with the support of Expertise France and FICOM's technical expertise, retains three final options: a short-term bank savings book, a long-term deposit account, or a financial savings vehicle backed by investment funds. The final resources will replenish the credit lines for energy infrastructure projects, industrial development, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The experience-sharing process with delegations from the Caisses de dépôts of Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Senegal, Niger, Benin, and Morocco should enable the final structuring of the future placement by the end of the current budget year.


Nlend Flore

Tags: diaspora financement economie cdec investissement epargne developpement strategie finances