GuarantCo provides Orabank Togo CFA14.55B guarantee to finance telecom and road projects

Banking

Friday, 28 January 2022 12:45

GuarantCo provides Orabank Togo CFA14.55B guarantee to finance telecom and road projects

(Togo First) - GuarantCo has granted Orabank-Togo a CFA14.55 billion guarantee to finance road and telecom development projects in Togo. This is the second time that the subsidiary of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PDG) is providing a guarantee to support infrastructure development in Togo. The first time was in 2019 when the fund helped Togo’s commercial banks support the Kekeli Efficient Power project.

Commenting on the new facility, GuarantCo said in a statement obtained by Togo First on Jan 27, 2022: "The guarantee provides Orabank with capital relief, allowing it to expand its infrastructure portfolio while remaining within the limits of a single debtor. The projects supported include telecommunications and road projects in Togo."

Moreover, "This portfolio guarantee improves Orabank's prudential ratios by 742 basis points and 837 basis points for Tier 1 capital and solvency ratios respectively," the fund said. This, it added, should allow Orabank to better support the government’s 2025 roadmap.

Guy Martial Awona, CEO of Orabank Togo, welcomed "GuarantCo's support for [Orabank's] portfolio guarantee, which increases its ability to finance business growth in the telecommunications, energy and infrastructure sectors. Once again, the bank is proud to contribute to the government's efforts in implementing the National Development Plan (NDP) launched in 2018."

GuarantCo is backed by several western governments as well as the World Bank Group.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

After moving from the 133rd to 127th place under the 2020 Doing Business’ construction permit index, Togo intends to reiterate this feat in the coming edition of the global ranking. To this end, it has introduced this year multiple reforms.

GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

Over the past two years, Togo’s ranking under the Doing Business’ Getting electricity and water indicator has increased consistently. Owing this performance to multiple reforms aimed at making it easier for businesses to access power and water, Lomé plans to introduce even more reforms this year to keep up its improvements.

REGISTERING A PROPERTY (more info)

Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

To improve its business environment, Togo introduced some important reforms related to the payment of tax and duties. From the replacement of some taxes to the cancellation of others through exemptions, the country has only one objective: offer the most attractive tax framework to investors and economic operators. To achieve this, the authorities relied on digitization.