Invest in Africa (digital - reduced)

Orabank, betting on Pan-African banking
Banks are one of the preferred gateways to Africa for international investors. The most successful are
those that manage to establish a strong Pan-African footprint so as to diversify the risk and seize the most
opportunities for growth.
In the past seven years, Oragroup has
experienced very strong growth,
expanding from a presence in five
countries in West and Central Africa to
its current Pan-African coverage. Today
Oragroup is present in 12 countries in
West and Central Africa (Benin, Burkina
Faso, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea Conakry,
Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger,
Senegal, Chad and Togo) and straddles
four monetary areas (UEMOA, CEMAC,
Guinea Conakry, Mauritania).
This growth was particularly due to
the acquisition of Banque Régionale de
Solidarité (BRS) in 2013. “Since 2009,
our assets have increased seven-fold
to reach CFA francs 1,492 billion (€ 2.3
billion) and customer loans by eight-fold
to CFA francs 905.2 billion (€ 1.4 billion).
This acquisition really made us what we
are today. But this is by no means the
last step in our expansion!” comments
Binta Touré Ndoye, CEO of Oragroup.
Oragroup recently launched a bond issue
on the local market, aiming to raise 35
billion CFA francs in two phases. The
first phase that came to a close in early
October allowed it to successfully tap
the market to the tune of 20 billion CFA
francs. It is going back for the second
phase in early 2017 to raise the remaining
15 billion CFA francs.
Increasingly, its focus is on financing
SMEs as they represent the heart of
African economies and the future of
Africa. “As a banking institution we
have a duty to finance the real economy
and the progression of our customers
in our credit portfolio is a testimony to
this commitment. In 2015, businesses
customers have progressed by nearly
44% after a 40% rise in 2014” says
Mrs. Ndoye.
Binta Touré Ndoye was recruited as
Deputy Managing Director of Oragroup
in 2015 and began her career with the
Ecobank Group, where she was
Managing Director of Ecobank Mali
(2007), then in charge of the Group’s
strategic projects (2013). A Malian
national, Binta Touré Ndoye holds an
MBA in Finance and International and
Development Economics (University of
Central Oklahoma).
« As a banking institution we have a
duty to finance the real economy ».
She is now in charge of the next step
for Oragroup where she is leading the
transition from a multipolar banking
group to a coherent and strategically
focused entity.
“Oragroup must now consolidate its
growth, increase its consistency and
deploy a corporate strategy based on
strong values. We want to be a role
model in Pan-African banking and,
to accomplish this, we will enhance
synergies and continue to optimize the
Group’s skills. We aim to be a pioneer in
an emerging financial “afro-capitalism”
that is simultaneously authentic, strong
and durable. This necessitates network
expansion, investments in innovative
tools and potential acquisitions,” argues
Binta Touré Ndoye.
Binta Touré Ndoye,
Oragroup CEO,
www.orabank.net