The Ministry of Finance has extended the nationwide registration exercise for family allowances after a large number of civil servants failed to complete the process during the first phase.
The exercise, known as the Family Allowances Audit Operation (AALFA), is aimed at updating records of eligible beneficiaries and identifying irregularities in the payment of family allowances to public servants.
Speaking during a press briefing on July 24, 2026, Minister of Finance Louis-Paul Motazé announced that all civil servants receiving family allowances must register their eligible children in order to continue benefiting from the scheme.
According to the Minister, the audit became necessary following a sharp increase in government spending on family allowances. Over the past five years, expenditure has risen by about FCFA 17 billion, prompting authorities to investigate possible cases of fraud and ensure that only genuine beneficiaries continue to receive payments.
The first phase of the exercise, which ended on July 15, 2026, recorded a low turnout. Out of 180,806 civil servants expected to register, only 61,856 completed the process, representing 34.2 percent participation.
Despite the low response rate, the Ministry received more than 301,000 birth certificates, with many civil servants submitting their documents during the final days of the registration period.
To enable more public workers to comply, the government has opened a second registration phase, which runs from July 25 to August 15, 2026. Civil servants who have not yet completed the process are expected to submit their files through designated bank branches and General Treasury offices across the country.
The Ministry has warned that family allowances for children who are not registered before the deadline will be suspended. It also stated that any benefits obtained through false declarations or other fraudulent means will be recovered in accordance with existing regulations.
Under the current system, eligible public servants receive a monthly family allowance of FCFA 4,500 for each qualified child.
The Ministry clarified that the registration exercise concerns only serving public servants. Retired civil servants are not affected by the ongoing audit.
Officials have urged all eligible workers to take advantage of the extension to regularize their records before the August 15 deadline to avoid interruptions in the payment of their family allowances.
0 Comments