This project, officially launched in Douala on January 20, 2026, benefits from the partnership of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and the technical assistance of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It represents a major milestone for the CEMAC financial ecosystem: a modern and regional credit information infrastructure designed to strengthen transparency, improve credit risk management, and promote broader access to financing, particularly for individuals as well as micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Why is this important?

In many credit markets, lenders and borrowers do not always have access to the same quality of information. This creates an “information gap” that can make credit granting slower, more expensive, and more cautious than necessary, especially for first-time borrowers and small businesses.

A well-regulated credit information system helps reduce this gap by enabling regulated financial institutions to make more consistent, data-driven decisions, and to support responsible credit growth as well as greater confidence in the market.

What is now operational

As part of the implementation phase, 61 financial institutions, including 41 commercial banks and 20 microfinance institutions operating in CEMAC member states, have been connected to the test platform and are ready for production operations.

The bureau will be gradually deployed across the region, with the goal of covering the six CEMAC countries: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad.

As a licensed private operator, CICA is responsible for the daily operation of the bureau and for supporting participating institutions through services that make credit information actionable, including:

• Credit reports to support credit risk assessment and decision-making;
• Credit scoring capabilities to help standardize evaluations;
• Secure and scalable technology designed for regional coverage;
• A strong focus on data governance and data quality, which are essential to maximize real-world impact.

Satty Saha, Global CEO of the Creditinfo Group, stated:

Our objective is to build a trusted infrastructure that strengthens transparency and confidence in the credit market. This will enable lenders to make faster and better-informed decisions, while ensuring that more borrowers — including those traditionally underserved — can access financing under fairer and more inclusive conditions.

Next steps

The bureau operates under a “hub-and-spokes” model, with a regional hub in Douala and a progressive approach to expanding representative coverage across the region.

In the long term, and in accordance with the regulatory framework, the ecosystem may be expanded to include other data sources, such as payment institutions and major service providers. This could broaden access to credit for individuals with limited or no credit history, particularly women, young people, and first-time borrowers.