• AES appoints Balibié Serge Auguste Bayala as first president of BCID-AES

• Bank created in 2025 to fund strategic projects in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger

• Institution starts with initial capital of CFA500 billion, or about $900 million

The Confederation of Sahel States (AES) has appointed Professor Balibié Serge Auguste Bayala as president of the Confederation Bank for Investment and Development (BCID-AES), the joint financial institution of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

Bayala becomes the first head of the bank, which was created in 2025 to support the economic priorities of member states by mobilizing sovereign resources and financing projects deemed strategic by the AES.

His main mandate is to establish the bank’s operational foundations, ensure its financial and institutional credibility, and mobilize the resources needed to fund the Confederation’s economic priorities. He is also tasked with defining a coherent investment strategy that meets member state needs while ensuring rigorous and sustainable fund management.

A technical and strategic profile

Bayala’s background meets the technical and strategic requirements of launching such an institution. A university professor and financial management expert, he has more than 20 years of experience in public and regional institution governance, financing mechanism structuring, and organizational reform. His career combines teaching, regulation, and management.

In Burkina Faso, he contributed to the creation of a public institution designed to channel savings into productive investment, strengthening the country’s financial architecture. He also worked at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), where he led training and capacity-building programs, deepening his knowledge of subregional monetary and financial policies.

His experience also includes leading regional training institutions and taking part in international expert missions, giving him a strategic perspective to guide the new confederation bank. He will apply this experience as president of the institution, which has initial capital of CFA500 billion, or about $900 million.

BCID-AES is designed as a key instrument for regional development. Its mandate includes financing strategic infrastructure, supporting industrialization, mobilizing domestic and regional resources, and promoting high-impact regional integration projects with strong economic and social benefits. By appointing an experienced technocrat to lead the bank, the AES aims to strengthen financial sovereignty and lay the foundations for sustainable and inclusive growth.

Sandrine Gaingne