Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon have stepped up institutional cooperation in the social security sector, underscoring a growing trend toward Africa-led collaboration as pension funds face rising demographic, financial and governance pressures.
The renewed partnership was highlighted on February 6 in Libreville during the launch of Gabon’s CAP 2030 strategic roadmap by the State Employees Pension and Family Benefits Fund (CPPF). The event brought together senior officials from both countries, including representatives of Côte d’Ivoire’s Social Security Institution, the General Retirement Fund for State Employees (IPS-CGRAE), which participated as an institutional partner.
The ceremony was chaired by Gabon’s Minister of Budget and Public Accounts, Marc Abeghe, and was presented by officials as a concrete example of South-South cooperation built on experience-sharing, benchmarking and peer-to-peer learning between institutions confronting similar structural challenges.
Across Africa, public pension and social security funds are under growing strain as life expectancy rises, informal employment remains widespread and public finances face competing demands. In response, institutions are increasingly seeking practical cooperation with regional peers to improve governance, sustainability and service delivery.
A central feature of the Libreville event was a high-level panel discussion on the role of social security institutions in national development, co-hosted by the director general of IPS-CGRAE. The discussion focused on the expanding role of pension funds as institutional investors and the delicate balance between financial performance and social responsibility.
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Pension funds across the continent are managing increasingly large asset portfolios and are being encouraged by governments to invest domestically in infrastructure, housing and strategic industries. While such investments can support economic development, they also raise concerns about risk management and the long-term security of contributors’ savings.
Addressing the panel, the director general of IPS-CGRAE emphasised that the investment role of social security institutions must remain firmly anchored in their social mandate. “The ultimate purpose of a social security fund acting as a national investor is to serve its policyholders, who are its only real judges,” he said.
He added that investment strategies must translate into tangible benefits for contributors, including the long-term security of pension payments, predictable access to benefits and continuous improvements in service quality. These, he said, are essential conditions for ensuring a dignified and secure retirement for public sector workers.
On the Gabonese side, CPPF officials said the newly launched CAP 2030 strategy is designed to place policyholders and the dignity of retirees at the centre of public action. The roadmap focuses on modernising services, strengthening governance frameworks and promoting responsible management with a clear social impact.
According to CPPF’s director general, benchmarking missions and technical exchanges with African partner institutions, including IPS-CGRAE, played a key role in shaping the strategy. Such exchanges have allowed CPPF to draw on regional best practices while adapting reforms to Gabon’s specific institutional and economic context.
Beyond the immediate policy objectives, the partnership between Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon reflects a broader shift in how African social security institutions approach reform. Rather than relying primarily on external models, many are turning to peer learning within the continent to address shared challenges such as financial sustainability, digitalisation and trust among contributors.
Experts say this approach can foster more pragmatic and context-appropriate reforms. By sharing lessons learned, both successful and unsuccessful, institutions can avoid costly mistakes and accelerate progress in areas such as contribution collection, benefit administration and customer service.
As demographic pressures intensify and expectations from contributors continue to rise, cooperation of this kind is likely to become increasingly important. Officials from both IPS-CGRAE and CPPF said the partnership is intended to be long-term, with continued exchanges aimed at strengthening social protection systems and ensuring their resilience in the face of economic and social change.
For both countries, the collaboration underscores a shared objective: safeguarding the sustainability of pension systems while ensuring that social security remains a pillar of social cohesion and economic stability.
