• Burkina Faso’s finance minister Aboubakar Nacanabo is the new chair of WAEMU’s Council of Ministers.
• His appointment ends months of institutional deadlock following delays in the handover from Côte d’Ivoire.
• The move signals renewed momentum in the Union’s economic and monetary governance.

Burkina Faso’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Aboubakar Nacanabo, was appointed as the new chair of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Council of Ministers on Monday, October 6, 2025, in Dakar, Senegal. The announcement came at the close of the Council’s third ordinary session, held at the headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

Mr. Nacanabo succeeds Adama Coulibaly, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Finance and Budget, for a two-year term in line with Article 11 of the WAEMU Treaty. This rotation ensures balanced representation among the Union’s eight member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

A tense political and institutional backdrop

The appointment follows several months of institutional deadlock. During the Council’s second ordinary session of 2025, held in Lomé, Togo, on July 11, the handover between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso did not take place. Abidjan had cited the need to preserve institutional stability within the Union.

Observers linked the delay to broader debates over regional monetary policy led by the BCEAO. Some member states feared that a Burkinabe chairmanship could challenge established practices governing financial operations, monetary cooperation agreements, and even the CFA franc reform project.

Duties of the Council chair

Article 11 of the WAEMU Treaty defines the organization and responsibilities of the Council presidency. The chair convenes and leads meetings, oversees the preparation of reports and proposals submitted to the Council, and ensures their proper follow-up.

Aboubakar Nacanabo’s appointment ends the institutional impasse and ushers in a new phase for WAEMU’s economic and monetary governance.