Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), a public limited liability company under a private sector initiative spearheaded by the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry with the support of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In the early 1980’s foreign and state-owned banks dominated the banking industry in West Africa. Commercial banks in West Africa owned and managed by the African private sector were a rarity. Its founders created ETI with the objective of filling this vacuum. The Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce promoted and initiated a project to create a private, regional banking institution in West Africa. In 1984, Ecopromotions S.A. was incorporated. Its founding shareholders raised seed capital for feasibility studies and the promotional activities leading to the creation of ETI. In October 1985, ETI was incorporated with authorised capital of US$100 million. The initial paid up capital of US$32 million was raised from over 1,500 individuals and institutions from West African countries. The largest shareholder was the ECOWAS Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development (ECOWAS Fund), the development finance arm of ECOWAS. Ecobank signed a Headquarters’ Agreement with the Government of Togo in 1985, which granted it the status of an international organisation. This status came with the rights and privileges necessary for ETI to operate as a regional institution, including the status of a non-resident financial institution. ETI commenced operations with its first subsidiary in Togo in March 1988.

The story of the BANK OF AFRICA Group began in Mali in 1982, with the first BANK OF AFRICA, which was created with almost no external help. Today, the BANK OF AFRICA Group is established in 17 countries. There are: - Eight BOA banks in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Togo and Senegal) - Seven BOA banks in East Africa and the Indian Ocean (Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania and Uganda) - One in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - And also one in France, across a network of 15 commercial banks, one financial corporation, one banque de l’habitat, one leasing company, one brokerage firm, two investment companies, one asset management company and one Group representative office in Paris. Since 2010, the BANK OF AFRICA Group has been majority-owned by BMCE Bank, the second largest private bank in Morocco. BMCE Bank brings strong strategic and operational support to the BANK OF AFRICA Group, as well as direct access to the international market as a result of its presence in Europe and Asia.

Oragroup SA provides personal and business banking services. Orabank is present in 12 countries in West and Central Africa. Indeed, to the countries of historical presence - Benin, Gabon, Guinea, Mauritania, Togo, Togo - were added six new countries following the takeover, with the West African Development Bank (BOAD) Ex-network of Regional Solidarity Banks (BRS) - Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal.