Togo: EBID and Coris Holding sign €80 million agreement for food and energy value chains

The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), based in Lomé, is scaling up partnerships with private banking groups to channel capital into a region grappling with food insecurity, energy volatility, and agricultural underfunding. Coris Holding, a pan-African group originating in Burkina Faso and operating in several WAEMU countries, is its new partner. On July 30, 2026, at EBID's headquarters in Lomé, the two institutions signed an €80 million financing agreement targeting the productive sector. The agreement was initialed by Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, President of EBID and its Board of Directors, and Diakarya Ouattara, CEO of Coris Holding, in the presence of senior officials from both organizations. For West African SMEs and farmers, who are often excluded from traditional credit, this fund could open up access to financing through Coris's branch network. For ECOWAS member states, it aligns with food and energy sovereignty objectives, as the Sahel remains vulnerable to insecurity and climate shocks. This arrangement illustrates a leveraging strategy: EBID is relying on an already established banking intermediary to reduce transaction costs and credit risk, rather than lending directly. Interest rate terms, duration, and the exact sectoral breakdown of the €80 million—which were not detailed in the announcement—still need to be clarified, as does the actual capacity of Co