The African Civil Services Observatory i.e. ACSO has been created at the end of The twenty-three African Civil Services ministers Conference which took place in Cotonou, on 3-5 th November 1991. ACSO head office is in Cotonou representing twenty-six countries :
Angola, Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Cape Verde Islands, the Comoros, Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea , Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Central Africa, Ruanda, Sao-Tome and Principe, Senegal, Chad, Togo.

Missions

to collect data on the Civil Services conditions
to estimate problems that Civil Services have in common and to get suitable solution to solve them
to identify programs or projects which could improve the cooperation between African Civil Services, especially for training, to harmonize their different status and enhance civil servants exchanges
to issue reports or periodical for a better information exchanges
to get associated to all activities of studies and researches concerning African Civil Services

Programs

Civil Services strength and wages policy
reforms and status
devolution, territorial and local administration
professional training
set up of a Civil Services achievement estimating system

Organization

ACSO gets three levels of decision :
Political : The African members-countries Civil Services ministers Conference
Administrative : A board of directors managed by representative of ministers members of the Survey Comity and representative of the foreign partners
Executive : Permanent Secretary

Documentation

The Library got Countries Official Gazettes, thesis from National Administration Schools and Public Administration Universities, books and studies reports, seminaries and conferences reviews, specialized literature, ACSO issues (Conference acts, seminaries reports...)
ACSO set up several basis of data about Civil Services wages funds and strength, about Public Administration Experts.
The Library got also bibliographical records on over 6000 items about Public Administration.