MSME Env BBGCI (IFC-49956)

Countries
  • Ivory Coast
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Borrower
BRIDGE BANK GROUP COTE D'IVOIRE
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Finance
  • Industry and Trade
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 20.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ IFC website

Updated in EWS May 18, 2025

Disclosed by Bank Jan 28, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the proposed investment consists of a US$20 million equivalent in EUR senior loan to Bridge Bank Group Côte d’Ivoire (“BBGCI”). The proposed loan will have a tenor of 2-years (bullet). The purpose of this IFC investment is to support BBGCI's lending program to SMEs, with a carve-out of at least 25 percent earmarked for WSMEs.                

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The proposed investment consists of loan to BGGCI, targeted to support MSMEs. The portfolio supported under the Project is expected to comprise business activities with limited adverse environmental and social risks or impacts that are few in number, generally site-specific, largely reversible and readily addressed through mitigation measures. The Project has been categorized as FI-2, in accordance with IFC’s Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy. 

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

The proposed IFC investment consists of an up to US$20 million MSME senior loan, for IFC’s own account, to Bridge Bank Côte d’Ivoire. The proposed loan will have a tenor of 2-years (bullet).

Financial Intermediary
A financial intermediary is a bank or financial institution that receives funds from a development bank. A financial intermediary then lends these funds to their clients (private actors) in the form of loans, bonds, guarantees and equity shares. Financial intermediaries include insurance, pension and equity funds. The direct financial relationship is between the development bank and the financial intermediary.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

Bridge Bank Group Côte d’Ivoire - BBGCI was established in 2004 with operations starting in 2006. It initially focused on the Corporate and SME segments, then expanded in 2011 to the Retail, Professionals and VSE segments. The Bank’s shareholders include Bridge Group West Africa (“BGWA”) (77.2%), a financial holding company, Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale (CNPS) (20%), the social security trust of Côte d'Ivoire and the Senegalese businessman Mr. Oumar Sow (2.8%).


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Bridge Bank Group Côte d’Ivoire
Mr. Ehouman KASSI
Chief Executive Officer
+225 27 20 25 85 58
ehouman.kassi@bridgebankgroup.com
01 B.P. 13002 ABIDJAN 01
www.bridgebankgroup.com

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit a request for information disclosure at: https://disclosures.ifc.org/#/inquiries

If you believe that your request for information from IFC has been unreasonably denied, or that this Policy has been interpreted incorrectly, you can submit a complaint at the link above to IFC's Access to Information Policy Advisor, who reports directly to IFC's Executive Vice President.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC/MIGA

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an IFC or MIGA- financed project. If you submit a complaint to the CAO, they may assist you in resolving a dispute with the company and/or investigate to assess whether the IFC is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. If you want to submit a complaint electronically, you can email the CAO at CAO@worldbankgroup.org You can learn more about the CAO and how to file a complaint at http://www.cao-ombudsman.org

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