• NSIA Banque CI, OEC-CI sign three-year SME support partnership
• Deal offers financing, training, and support for accountants and SMEs
• Aims to improve access to finance and business governance

NSIA Banque CI and the Ordre des experts-comptables de Côte d'Ivoire (OEC-CI), the country's chartered accountants’ professional body, signed a partnership agreement on Friday to deepen cooperation to support Ivorian business development.

The agreement was signed by Sékou Sanogo, deputy chief executive of NSIA Banque CI, and Pascale Guéi-Ecaré, president of OEC-CI. It is intended to align banking solutions more closely with business needs and to consolidate the role of certified public accountants in supporting businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The partnership runs for three years.

Under the agreement, specific financing offers will be made available to accountants to support their activities and help them establish their practices, including outside major cities. Preferential conditions have also been included to encourage women in the profession to start and grow businesses.

The partnership also provides for a training program for SMEs, supported by accountants, to strengthen their capabilities in financial management, business organization and access to financing.

For the leaders of both institutions, the collaboration is grounded in a shared vision: improving the quality of financial information and business support in an economic environment increasingly shaped by demands for transparency and governance.

"Through this collaboration, we are affirming our commitment to supporting the accounting profession, improving access to business financing and supporting improvements in the quality of the Ivorian SME ecosystem," Sanogo said.

SMEs account for nearly 23% of GDP and formal employment in Côte d'Ivoire but continue to face a gap in access to financing and support. NSIA Banque CI has already established itself as a major player in the sector, with a credit line of 5 billion CFA francs (approximately $8.9 million) in partnership with the SME development agency (GUDE-PME), part of which is reserved for businesses led by women and young people. The bank has also launched initiatives including receivables securitization and the "Pitch PME" program.

The agreement builds on initiatives already undertaken between the two parties, including the financing of the OEC-CI headquarters in 2025 and other collaborations within the NSIA Group. It aims to consolidate a lasting partnership in support of a more structured, inclusive and efficient Ivorian economic ecosystem.

Charlène N’dimon