AfDB Blesses Free Trade Area with $300m

Jul 27 , 2019


[ssba-buttons]

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved 300 million dollars in support for the Eastern, Southern African Trade & Development Bank (TDB) this month. The financial support comes on the heels of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which came into force in July 2019. The COMESA regional trade and project finance package consists of composite funded trade finance and project finance facilities, and an unfunded trade finance risk participation agreement. The project finance component will facilitate the delivery of export-oriented infrastructure, which will promote regional trade within the COMESA region, according to the statement from the Bank. It will benefit no less than 43 financial institutions operating in over 15 regional member countries, catalysing up to two billion dollars worth of trade over the three-year period. With a balance sheet size of 5.6 billion dollars as of December 2018, TDB has 22 countries in East, North and Southern Africa as well as two non-regional countries as shareholders.


Radar

Bank of Abyssinia Signs Partnership with Droga Cooperative

Bank of Abyssinia has entered into a partnership agreement with Droga Health & Financial Savings and Credit Cooperative to provide financial support and services for its members. The agreement was signed yesterday at the Bank's headquarters. The deal aims to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions, enabling cooperative members to access tailored banking services. It was signed by Wosenyeleh Abera, Deputy CEO for Customer Relations and Marketing at the bank, and Zelalem Yilma...


Radar

Wegagen Introduces Real Time SWIFT Tracking

Wegagen Bank has launched a new mobile app feature enabling customers to track international SWIFT payments in real time. The bank is the first in Ethiopia to introduce an online SWIFT payment tracking system. By integrating SWIFT Global Payment Innovation, customers, particularly those involved in import-export trade, can monitor cross-border transactions using a Unique End-to-End Transaction Reference (UETR) directly from their smartphones. To use the service, customers select the SWIFT...


Radar

National ID, Zambia Partners to Expands Program Reach

The National ID Program has signed an agreement with Zambia's counterpart to provide consulting services for the development of software that will issue digital IDs. It is the first time the institution has extended its expertise beyond national borders, a sign of growing recognition for its rapid progress. Program officials described the partnership as a milestone in their effort to position themselves as a regional player in digital transformation. The collaboration is expected to center...