The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) more than doubled its trade surplus to 1,817.7 billion CFA francs (about $3.1 billion) in the second quarter of 2026, from 812.3 billion a year earlier, according to Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) figures reported on 9 October. Exports rose 15.6% and imports 4.6%, led by gold, cotton, cocoa, rubber and petroleum products, while industrial output grew 5.7% on oil in Côte d’Ivoire, Niger and Senegal and gold in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. Cocoa output still fell 2.6% in the 2025/26 season. Stronger export earnings support the union’s reserves and the CFA franc peg as higher oil prices lift import bills.
Sources
- Agence Ecofin: https://www.agenceecofin.com/actualites/0910-142286-uemoa-l-excedent-commercial-atteint-3-1-milliards-au-2e-trimestre-2026
- Agence Ecofin: https://www.agenceecofin.com/actualites/0910-142274-malgre-les-repercussions-du-conflit-au-moyen-orient-les-economies-de-l-union-demeurent-resilientes-uemoa