The ECOWAS Commission and the World Bank held discussions with the West African Central Bank (BCEAO) in Dakar, Senegal, on October 24, 2024. The meeting focused on digital identification initiatives in the ECOWAS region.
This visit was part of the World Bank-funded West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) program. The aim is to promote learning and minimize duplication of efforts to achieve a coordinated regional approach to service delivery through foundational ID systems.
Albert Siaw-Boateng, Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration, led the ECOWAS delegation. He represented Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture. Siaw-Boateng stated, “Our primary goal was to address concerns raised with the WURI participating Member States regarding a similar assignment reportedly conducted by BCEAO.” He added that the meeting aimed to understand findings and identify recommendations aligning with the WURI project.
BCEAO's team, led by Mme Niffone Jacqueline DABOU, Director of Financial Inclusion, acknowledged awareness of the WURI program and its objectives. They suggested setting up a working group to integrate WURI-assigned identification numbers into banking and financial institutions' information systems.
Conrad Daly from the World Bank introduced a new initiative during this meeting: Women Entrepreneur Financial Initiative (WEFI). This project aims to collect disaggregated data on financial inclusion due to significant financing gaps for women entrepreneurs in Africa.
The ECOWAS delegation included several officials such as the Head of ECOWAS National Office in Senegal and other key figures involved in legal affairs, member state relations, external relations, e-applications, WURI project management, and communications.
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