The Council of Ministers of the Central African Economic Union (UEAC), one of the community entities, approved, on June 20, in Bangui (Central African Republic), the new financial and public procurement regulations. These community standards should breathe a sense of transparency into community institutions.
The adoption of the two community texts, the financial regulation of the community and that relating to award procedures, execution and regulation of contracts, aims to improve the performance of the institutions of the UEAC, a key body within the Economic Community and Monetary Affairs of Central Africa (CEMAC). The new financial regulation grants, for example, additional powers to Parliament and the Community Court of Auditors, specifying the roles of the central accounting officer and the internal auditor.
Indeed, this ongoing reform of community governance is supported by the new government of the Cémac Commission. “ In order to strengthen the good governance advocated by the Revised Cémac Treaty, the Council has prescribed to all those responsible for the community institutions of the UEAC a rigorous application of the provisions of the regulations thus adopted ”, specifies the final communiqué of the work of the UEAC Council of Ministers.
Regarding the standard relating to the award of community public contracts, the ministers insisted on better access to public procurement focused in particular on competition and transparency in financial management. The objective of the approach, it is assured, is to guarantee respect for the “major principles” enshrined in the field of public procurement, in connection with the requirements of good governance and performance.
By developing these tools, the CEMAC zone is taking a new course for its integration and community development policy. The CEMAC Commission was even allocated a budget of 1.7 billion FCFA to implement the Transformation Plan in 2024 and another envelope of 1.29 billion FCFA for the continuation of reforms in 2025. The expected transformation of the Commission essentially concerns budgetary management, personnel and monitoring of the program of activities.
Finally, UEAC ministers immersed themselves in the process aimed at the return of the Commission’s headquarters to Bangui, as well as the Interstate Customs School and the Pink Card. “ The Council of Ministers invites the Commission to accelerate its work to achieve the return decided by the Conference of Heads of State. In this perspective, the Council welcomed the provision, on June 19, 2024, by the government of the Central African Republic, of a building which formerly housed the national management of the central bank, in order to facilitate the return and the reinstallation of the Commission in Bangui ,” welcomed the ministers.
