AES: Burkinabe expertise at the service of the Sahelian financial strategy
The Sahel States Confederation (AES) has taken a decisive step in strengthening its institutional framework with the appointment of Burkinabe economist Serge Bayala as President of the Confederal Bank for Investment and Development (BCID-AES). This decision, low-key in form but strategic in impact, illustrates the determination of the Sahel states to equip their alliance with a development instrument capable of supporting industrialization, infrastructure, and the mobilization of internal resources.
For Burkina Faso, this appointment carries special prominence, positioning the country at the heart of regional economic sovereignty initiatives.
Serge Bayala combines recognized academic expertise with rare operational experience.
Holding a doctorate in financial management from the University of Groningen, he has spent over twenty years structuring complex institutions and designing innovative financial mechanisms.
His role in establishing the Deposit and Investment Fund of Burkina Faso demonstrates his ability to translate vision into concrete instruments.
At the regional level, his leadership at the African Center for Advanced Studies in Management in Dakar transformed the institution into a center of excellence, consolidating African expertise in financial governance.
His experience with COFEB and the BCEAO enabled him to reinforce institutional capacities across the subregion; a major asset for leading the BCID-AES.
The confederal bank holds a central place in the AES economic strategy. Its mission goes beyond simply allocating credit and aims to create leverage for industrialization, support priority infrastructure, and foster financial autonomy among member states.
Entrusting its leadership to a technical expert capable of combining financial rigor with transformative vision sends a strong signal for a Sahel region seeking to build durable foundations; less dependent on external funding; and to drive internal economic dynamism.
Beyond the institution, this appointment highlights Burkinabe expertise and underscores the capacity of local actors to contribute decisively to regional projects.
It reflects a collective ambition for sovereignty and shared development, in a Sahelian context where every strategic decision has immediate repercussions on stability and prosperity.
By entrusting the BCID-AES to Serge Bayala, the AES is laying the groundwork for thoughtful and sustainable development, demonstrating that the economic future of the region rests as much on the competence and vision of its people as on the strength of the institutions they embody.
This appointment does not only signal a turning point for the bank; it represents a tangible promise for the Sahel, where local excellence is now being harnessed in service of an ambitious collective project.
Hadja KOUROUMA
