Africa
CASE STUDY: Ghana Cocobod Secures Africa’s First Syndicated Sustainability-Linked Loan
Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), which oversees the production, processing and marketing of cocoa, shea nut and coffee from the world’s second largest producer, regularly turns to international markets to satiate its funding requirements. However, Cocobod’s recent USD300mn syndicated loan marks a milestone in the African corporate market due to its innovative sustainability-linked features.
29 May 2019
Game Over, Zambia – Please Insert IMF Token to Continue Playing
In the world of emerging and frontier markets, there is rarely a dull moment. But while countries like Venezuela or Argentina continue grabbing headlines, one country in southern Africa is starting to creep ever so slowly into the limelight – and it’s not Mozambique.
24 May 2019
CASE STUDY: Bénin Debuts Benchmark Eurobond amid Renewed Hunt for Yield
The African nation’s first international bond, a EUR500mn 7-year Eurobond, saw Bénin tap the market on the same day as neighbouring Ghana at a time when global investors, buoyed by the Fed’s dovish mood swing, piled into high yield sovereign debt.
7 May 2019
Ashmore Group: Beware of Big Fiscal
Having exhausted most monetary policy levers, fiscal stimulus appears to be the ultimate go-to solution for lack of growth in the developed world – but it is often very costly, and tends to stand in the way of deeper, much-needed structural reform. Ashmore's Jan Dehn looks at how this dilemma may be resolved.
30 Apr 2019
Ethiopia: The Next African Frontier?
Since coming to power in April 2018, Abiy Ahmed Ali has set Ethiopia upon a new path towards liberalisation. Seeking to temper the established model of state-led growth, Abiy has sought to boost the economy through massive investment in infrastructure and manufacturing, as well as a sweeping programme of privatisation. But so far these policies have yet to bear fruit, and the spectre of political…
24 Apr 2019
As Egypt Woos Emerging Market Investors, Analysts Insist on Urgency of Further Reforms
A much-oversubscribed sovereign bond issued by the Republic of Egypt earlier this year reinforced a sense of optimism among emerging market investors about one of the region’s most promising economies, but analysts caution that the sustainability of the country’s improving macro, growth and investment outlook fundamentally hinges on deeper empowerment of the private sector and removal of the…
19 Apr 2019
COUNTRY PROFILE: Rwanda Offers Africa a Role Model for Pro-Market Reforms
In spite of its troubled past, Rwanda’s impressive post-civil war progress in opening up its markets and establishing a strong business-friendly governance mode have largely gone under the radar. That is starting to change, and its neighbours are beginning to take heed.
12 Apr 2019
When it Comes to Green Bonds in Nigeria, Access Bank “Can’t Go it Alone”
Nigeria’s Access Bank became the first corporate in the country to place green bonds in the public market, but will the move inspire other borrowers to tap into emergent pools of ESG-conscious liquidity? Greg Jobome, Executive Director of Risk Management at Access Bank and one of the key project managers for the Bank’s recent transaction seems to think it will, but more work needs to be done to…
3 Apr 2019
CASE STUDY: Absa Group Issues Inaugural USD400mn Basel III Compliant Regulatory Capital Bond
Absa Group’s recent inaugural USD400mn Tier II bond not only satiated its own capital requirements dictated by Basel III, but it also provided the dollar funding necessary for the bank’s future growth and created a benchmark for similar transactions across the continent.
26 Mar 2019
SWOT: As Liquidity Tightens, East African Borrowers Turn to DFIs, ECAs, and Short-Term Funding
Following a recent research trip to the region and conversations with bankers and investors on the ground, Bonds & Loans put together a summary of key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats East African economies are set to face over the next 12 months.
19 Mar 2019