Libreville: The IMF, with financial support from the Governments of Japan and Germany, and in collaboration with regional technical assistance centers (AFRITACs Central and West), organized three editions of the Interregional Seminar on Public Investment Management (SEIGIP) in 2022, 2023, and 2025, significantly bolstering public investment frameworks in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to International Monetary Fund, these seminars brought together approximately 60 senior officials from 21 sub-Saharan African countries, primarily Francophone, providing a platform to evaluate the impact of IMF capacity development and the advantages of South-South cooperation. The first seminar addressed challenges in public investment management (PIM) during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the necessity of strong legal and institutional frameworks and discussing climate change-sensitive investments.
The second seminar, held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire from May 30 to June 1, 2023, expanded on PIM reforms, covering project appraisal, budgeting, asset management, and fiscal risks. The discussions highlighted the critical relationship between budgeting quality and execution, the importance of sustainable asset management, and methods for fiscal risk assessment.
The third seminar, conducted in Libreville, Gabon from April 28-30, 2025, focused on the early phases of the PIM cycle, including ex-ante evaluations, project selection, and the digitalization of PIM processes. Participants shared best practices for project selection, emphasizing strategic alignment, socioeconomic returns, and technical maturity, as well as integrating criteria for public-private partnerships.
The SEIGIP series has proven invaluable as a long-term exchange platform for technical assistance providers and national experts, enhancing technical discussions and fostering professional connections through practical group exercises. The format, now well-established, received high praise from participants, with 97.7% expressing confidence in applying their acquired knowledge and skills.
Looking ahead, there is a strong push to extend SEIGIP's duration to four and a half days, allowing for more comprehensive practical exercises and dissemination of best practices. The next seminar, SEIGIP 4, is scheduled for January 26-30, 2026, in Nouakchott, Mauritania.