Finance

Côte d'Ivoire Raises CFA147bn, but Borrowing Costs Rise

Côte d'Ivoire Raises CFA147bn, but Borrowing Costs Rise
Thursday, 20 March 2025 12:07

The Ivorian government continues to maintain investor confidence. Just days ago, it completed a bond exchange worth $746.7 million on the WAEMU market.

Côte d’Ivoire has raised CFA147.7 billion (about $244 million) from the regional financial market, reaffirming strong investor interest despite rising borrowing costs.

During the March 18 auction, yields on three-year bonds climbed to 7.64%, up from 7.50% earlier in the month. Five-year bonds also saw a slight increase to 7.45%, compared to 7.41% in the last issuance. Meanwhile, seven-year bonds offered a 6.69% yield—lower than the 7.31% recorded in early March—but demand for this maturity remained weak, with only CFA4.9 billion raised.

Most investors were from Côte d’Ivoire, with Burkina Faso contributing CFA13.8 billion and Senegal adding CFA2.4 billion. Other WAEMU countries sat out this round.

Just days before the auction, Côte d’Ivoire completed a CFA450 billion ($746.7 million) bond swap in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) market. The operation, which exceeded its CFA400 billion target, aimed to ease 2025 debt repayments by replacing existing obligations with new five- and seven-year bonds, carrying interest rates of 5.90% and 6.00%, respectively.

With CFA1.36 trillion already raised this year, Côte d’Ivoire has accounted for more than half of the CFA2.65 trillion borrowed by WAEMU states so far. This underscores the country’s financial dominance in the region but also raises concerns about potential market saturation.

On the same topic
Inflation dropped to 3.2% in March 2026, down from 25.8% a year earlier, marking 15 consecutive months of decline The Ghana Reference Rate was...
(BIDC) - The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved USD 266.7 million and XOF 30 billion to support a portfolio of strategic...
Nigeria's Senate approved an additional $6 billion in external borrowing on March 31. The news is backed by several reforms that lifted GDP...
Nigeria’s 2026 budget rises to $49.4 billion to fund infrastructure, public services, and carry-over commitments;  $7.7 billion of...
Most Read
01

Novo Nordisk cuts Wegovy prices in South Africa amid competition Move targets rival Eli Lil...

Drugmakers ramp up competition in South Africa’s obesity treatment market
02

WAEMU posts 3.31 trillion CFA francs trade surplus in Q4 Exports surge 50.4%, led by gold, ...

WAEMU Trade Surplus Widens to $5.8 Billion in Q4 2025 on Strong Export Gains
03

The BCEAO now allows UEMOA citizens abroad to open CFA franc accounts under the same conditions as...

West Africa Targets Diaspora Funds With New Banking Access Rules
04

Operator explores renewable energy partnership with Italy’s Ascot Energy Move aims to stabilize p...

Ethio Telecom Turns to Green Power to Secure Network Expansion
05

First investor town hall since 2021 signals renewed engagement with markets Authorities hi...

Ghana restarts investor engagement as macro recovery firms after default
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.