Geneva — Minister of State Bassolma Bazié chaired the 36th ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Inter-African Conference on Social Welfare (CIPRES), convened at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva from June 10 to 12, 2024. The session, held concurrently with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conference, focused on enhancing social security systems across Africa.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the session addressed critical challenges facing social security systems in Africa, particularly within the CIPRES region, which includes 18 member states. He urged participants to devise innovative financing mechanisms and solutions to bolster these systems. Minister Bazié emphasized the importance of collaborative and respectful dialogue among the ministers to promote the common good.

The agenda for this session included multiple key issues: the adoption of the minutes from the previous session, held on December 15, 2023, in Ouagadougou; the review and approval of the 2023 activity report from CIPRES’s Executive Secretary; and discussions on the National Health Insurance Fund of Chad’s request to join CIPRES as an observer. Other topics discussed were the appointment of central bank representatives to the Social Insurance Supervisory Commission, the renewal of the Executive Secretary’s mandate, and the reassessment of benefits for CIPRES body members.

Minister Bazié noted that the outcomes of this session would guide member states in making informed decisions to enhance the well-being of their populations. CIPRES’s member states include Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Guinea, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, DR Congo, and Madagascar.