The Executive Secretariat is the second permanent body, after the Council of Ministers, and is responsible for executing and implementing the mission of the CICC.

It comprises the Executive Secretary and other staff members. The Executive Secretary leads the Institution’s activities based on the decisions of the Council of Ministers and reports to them during their ordinary or extraordinary sessions.

The Executive Secretary is appointed by the Council of Ministers and serves as the highest-ranking official of the CICC, accountable to the Council for the administration and functioning of the Executive Secretariat. The Executive Secretary also acts as the secretary for the sessions of the Council of Ministers, particularly participating in the preparation of the session agendas, convening members, transmitting technical documents, and preparing reports and minutes of the sessions.

The Executive Secretariat consists of four technical and administrative departments to be progressively established, namely:
a) The Directorate of Economic and Statistical Studies (2ES),
b) The Directorate of Research and Industrial Development (R&DI),
c) The Directorate of Cooperation, Organization, and Strategic Partnerships (COPS), and
d) The Directorate of Administration and Finance (AF).

The Executive Secretariat of the CICC is headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in accordance with the Institution’s founding convention.