Togolese Edoh Kossi Amenounve, Managing Director of the Regional Stock Exchange (BVRM), spoke on Monday in Abidjan at the opening of the first edition of the International Conference on the Integration of Capital Markets in West Africa .

He presented the successes of the WAEMU integrated market. The BRVM is the stock exchange common to the 8 countries of the Union.

A success which took time but which finally succeeded thanks to a political will and the engagement of the persons in charge of the Stock Exchange.

An example to follow for other African regional groups.

The process required serious studies, the development of regulations in line with international standards, the development of a dynamic ecosystem that promotes supply and demand for securities, underlined Mr. Amenounve.

But all the obstacles have not yet been removed, particularly those relating to investment and good governance.

The future capital market of ECOWAS has real assets with three active stock exchanges (BRVM, Ghana and Nigeria).

Edoh Kossi Amenounve is hopeful of seeing the birth of a common financial market for the 15 ECOWAS countries and, why not, endowed with a single currency.

The opening ceremony took place in the presence of Daniel Kablan Duncan, Vice-President of Côte d'Ivoire.