The WSBI (World Savings and Retail Banking Institute) which designates in French the World Institute of Savings Banks and Minorist Banks, is holding a seminar at the Novotel in Abidjan from Tuesday 03 to Wednesday 04 December 2019, under the banner of: "Digital Financial Inclusion: Pathways to Success".

Côte d'Ivoire, a member country, through the Banque Populaire de Côte d'Ivoire (BPCI), a technical partner of the WSBI, takes an active part in the organization of these meetings, during which its Director General (DG), Issa Fadiga, spoke on the following sub-theme: "the transformation of the Banque Populaire de Côte d'Ivoire".

According to the head of the former CNCE (Caisse nationale des caisses d'épargne), who was in front of experts and directors of financial development from international organizations including the AfDB, the BCEAO and private banking institutions in Africa, the Banque Populaire continues to multiply banking initiatives in Côte d'Ivoire.

"BpCI is strongly committed to working to increase the low banking rate by 19%, while many countries, especially in East Africa, have a banking rate that exceeds the rate of 50%," he said, at the end of his presentation.

But upstream, he highlighted some achievements of the BPCI such as the current use of mobile buses to bring its services closer to the population.

In 2019, Banque Populaire finalized several partnerships, proposed new commercial packages, innovative products that meet the needs of the population, reduced its expenses and, above all, repositioned the customer at the heart of its activities. Banque Populaire also focuses on the continuous financial education of rural populations and support for the banking of the agricultural world.

In addition, DG Issa Fadiga, drawing on the IMF Managing Director's intervention on a radio station this morning in Dakar on the importance of financial inclusion, argued that all countries that have undergone major transformations have relied on four main reforms.

These reforms take into account infrastructure, education, human capital and good governance. These major reforms are included in côte d'Ivoire's 2016-2020 National Development Plan (NDP) with a three (3) axis dedicated to the structural transformation of the economy, which in part is based on financial inclusion and the banking of populations.

This is why BPCI is working to develop alternative channels and solutions that will allow it to contribute to the development of financial inclusion in Côte d'Ivoire. For DG Issa Fadiga, this requires an integrated approach that, beyond banking, aims to impact socio-economic development and poverty reduction.