• WAEMU economy to grow 6.5% in Q3 2025, BCEAO says
• Growth driven by agriculture, extractives, trade, and public works
• Inflation easing; IMF warns of widening income gaps in bloc

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) is projected to see economic activity grow by 6.5% in the third quarter of 2025, up from 6.1% in the same period of 2024, according to a report released in mid-September by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

This anticipated growth is expected to be driven by stronger domestic demand and increased activity in key sectors such as food agriculture, extractive industries, trade, commercial and non-commercial services, transport, and public works.

The community's economic activity is particularly dynamic, fueled by a boom in various primary sectors. In Côte d’Ivoire, the extractive industries saw 68.3% growth between June 2024 and June 2025, thanks to hydrocarbon and metallic ore extraction, according to the national statistics agency. In Senegal, growth in the sector is estimated at 71.3% from July 2024 to July 2025, driven by the start of oil extraction, according to the National Agency for Statistics and Demography.

Additionally, the BCEAO reported that harvests from the 2024-2025 agricultural season are up by 15.9% across WAEMU. The financial institution predicts that inflation will fall from -0.5% in September to -0.1% in October, thanks to declining global food prices and sufficient supplies of cereal products in the Union's markets.

According to Adama Coulibaly, the chairman of WAEMU's statutory council of ministers, economic growth is projected at 6.3% for 2025, buoyed by the strong performance of the agricultural, extractive, and manufacturing sectors. "The monetary union's economic outlook remains favorable, although contingent on international economic conditions, the internal socio-political and security situation, and climate risks," the BCEAO stated.

The International Monetary Fund noted that despite WAEMU's solid economic growth, per capita income gaps between member states continue to widen due to significant differences in growth rates.

Lydie Mobio