Development Banking in Côte d'Ivoire: The Case of the Banque Nationale d'Investissement

This chapter presents a case study on a national development bank in Côte d'Ivoire, namely, the Banque Nationale d'Investissement (BNI). The study examines the activities of BNI in terms of corporate governance, regulation and supervision, monitoring and evaluation, impact evaluation practices, business models, achievements and challenges, and financial performance. The BNI has had major shortcomings which can be attributed to issues with governance and political influence. Today, the bank operates in a more favourable political, institutional, and regulatory context for carrying out its mandate. At the regulatory level, we highlight the application of Basel 2 and 3 standards, which might offer the Board of Directors and bank management significant autonomy and competence, as well as sound risk management. However, challenges that are common to all Ivorian national development banks must be addressed, particularly in terms of governance, SME financing, agriculture finance, and new financial products.