The West African Center for Banking Studies and Training (COFEB), in partnership with Luxembourg’s financial technology transfer agency (ATTF), organized training on “Banking Risk Management” from February 26 to 28, 2025.

The session was attended by 35 executives from lending institutions, the WAMU Deposit Guarantee and Resolution Fund, and the BCEAO.

The proceedings started with an introductory message from Fernand Aboutou, Advisor to the General Manager of COFEB. In his remarks, he explained that the aim of the training was to educate participants about the risks to which lending institutions are exposed and give them a stronger understanding of the tools available to manage those risks. Mr. Aboutou emphasized that risk management remains a major concern because it determines the profitability and stability of the banking and financial ecosystem in an environment subject to rapid innovation and the impact of climate change, which expose banks to complex challenges.

The Advisor to the General Manager of COFEB also recalled the BCEAO’s actions to promote optimal banking risk management, including the establishment of a regulatory framework as well as awareness and training initiatives.

The training session was led by Samuel Grand, a member of the Luxembourg Association of Risk Managers (ALRiM) who has served as Chief Risk Officer at ABN AMRO Bank and at the Swiss banking group Lombard Odier. He is also a former member of the Executive Committee of Edmond de Rothschild Bank and has served as chair of audit and risk committees on the boards of directors of various financial institutions.

The course, which was enriched by various case studies, focused on the general environment of internal control, corporate governance and risk management, as well as a review of the main risk categories and their regulatory sources, risk measurement and management tools, and the development and use of risk mapping.

On completing the training, the participants thanked the BCEAO authorities, COFEB and the ATTF for taking the initiative to organize the session and offering the banking sector a new opportunity for capacity building.

The training sessions ended with closing remarks by the General Manager of COFEB, Mahaman Tahir Hamani.  He congratulated the participants for the relevancy of the concerns raised and discussed, as well as Mr. Grand for the quality of his presentation, which provided satisfactory and well-contextualized answers. He also encouraged the participants to build on the lessons  learned during the training session by pursuing self-study and carrying on discussions with their peers.