CEMAC Alternative Data

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In May 2023, IFC signed an MoU with the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) to support the development of the first private credit bureau in the CEMAC region. After a competitive RFP advertised internationally, CREDITINFO was selected and received a provisional license signed by the Governor of a BEAC in December 2023, to operate a regional credit bureau based on a “hub and spokes” model. The regional bureau – CICA (CreditInfo Central Africa) – was officially created and incorporated on April 29, 2025, with headquarters in Douala, Cameroon, while national affiliates in the other member countries will be set up after the first year of operation. The bureau received its final license from the regulatory authority in November 2025. The project, which comes in response to an official request by BEAC, will be structured around two (2) components (identified by the Client): 1- Promote the adoption and usage of alternative data for credit decision making. 2- Strengthen the credit bureau supervision approach and skills for BEAC to achieve an effective deployment and growth of the regional credit bureau in the six CEMAC countries. 1- Adoption and usage of alternative data for credit decision making The project will encourage the effective usage of alternative data at market level by piloting and deploying alternative data in the credit market. Due to the expansion of digitization made available after the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing demand for alternative ways of assessing borrowers, particularly those that are considered as thin or no file (such as MSMEs and agricultural entrepreneurs) who tend to be credit constrained even during non-pandemic times. These MSMEs and individuals are leaving vast digital footprints and data trails when they transact on digital, e-commerce and public platforms that lenders can leverage for creditworthiness assessment and use as collateral substitute. The use of alternative data for lending purposes is still in its infancy due to the lack of legal and regulatory frameworks on data, regulatory skepticism, lack of capacity and digitization of government departments. 2- Credit bureau supervision and regulation The development of a strong supervision framework for the credit bureau is critical for removing obstacles in establishing effective credit information sharing in a new market like CEMAC. The growth of the credit bureau’s operations and meeting the financial inclusion targets will require a proactive regulator to take the lead and ensure full ownership of the infrastructure at all levels (internally in BEAC, at the level of reporting entities as well as data subjects). The whole ecosystem will be centered around BEAC as the driving force. The lack of ownership and support from the regulator will inevitably translate into a slow roll-out of the bureau’s operations.