WAEMU Debt Issuance Surges 96% as Governments Favour Longer Maturities

• Côte d’Ivoire accounts for nearly half of all regional fundraising
• Shift to bonds reflects rising refinancing pressure across the bloc

Cotonou, Benin – Member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) raised CFAF 4.75 trillion ($8.14 billion) on the regional debt market by the end of April 2025, marking a 96% increase year-on-year, according to UMOA-Titres data. The surge was fuelled by a sharp uptick in medium- and long-term debt issuance, as governments leaned more heavily on bonds to ease refinancing pressures.