Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

African Development Bank approves $50 million and EUR 50 million Trade Finance Transaction Line of Credit for ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) to enhance food security and boost agricultural value chains in the region

EBID will use the three-and-a-half-year facility to provide direct financing to local corporates

We are excited to work with EBID to increase access to trade finance in the ECOWAS region with a special focus on the agriculture value chain, SMEs and women-owned businesses

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 1, 2023/APO Group/ --

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a dual-currency Trade Finance Line of Credit for ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) comprising $50 million and EUR 50 million. An additional co-financing of $30 million for the credit line will come through the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF) from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC).

EBID will use the three-and-a-half-year facility to provide direct financing to local corporates. Part of the facility will also be channelled through select local banks for on-lending to key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and transport. The ultimate beneficiaries will be Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), local enterprises cooperatives and farmers in the West Africa region.

Speaking soon after the Board approval, the Deputy Director General for the West Africa Region, Joseph Ribeiro noted that regional development finance institutions like EBID are key partners of the African Development Bank and serve markets and client segments critical to the overall development of the continent.

“They play an important role in promoting trade and regional integration. This is the Bank’s first financing support to EBID, and we look forward to an even stronger partnership in the near future,” he said.

The Bank’s Head of Trade Finance, Lamin Drammeh, stressed the critical need for such support in the region. “We are excited to work with EBID to increase access to trade finance in the ECOWAS region with a special focus on the agriculture value chain, SMEs and women-owned businesses”, he said. “Regional institutions like EBID complement the Bank’s efforts to bridge the trade finance gap in Africa and serve as an effective conduit for channeling much-needed funds to underserved countries and sectors”, he added.

The African Development Bank estimates the annual trade finance gap for Africa to be around $81 billion. Compared to multinational corporates and large local corporates, SMEs and other domestic firms have greater difficulty in accessing trade finance.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Contact:
Amba Mpoke-Bigg
Communication and External Relations Department
African Development Bank
email: media@afdb.org

Technical Contacts:
Samson Kasuka
Senior Trade Finance Officer
email: S.Kasuka@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

About EBID:
EBID is the financial arm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprising fifteen (15) Member States. Established in 1999 as a legal entity, it operates through two windows, namely private sector operations and public  sector operations. Its member countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. EBID contributes to attaining the objectives of ECOWAS by supporting infrastructure and other projects to promote regional integration.