NSIA Banque

Diversifying lending and investment activity in Côte d’Ivoire

Country: Ivory Coast

Type of investment: Financial Institution

Purpose: Financing of agricultural businesses

Financial close: February 2019

Tenor: 5 years

Type of Investment: Balance sheet financing

S&E Category: FI

In early 2019, AATIF concluded a EUR 30m agricultural lending facility with NSIA Banque Côte d’Ivoire (“NSIA”). NSIA was one of the first commercial banks in Ivory Coast to promote lending to the agricultural sector over 60 years ago. Initially the bank focused on commodity financing, but over the years has continually diversified its product offering to its customers. A key advantage of NSIA is its large branch network of 84 agencies which has allowed the bank to better embed itself in the agricultural ecosystem by being able to get closer to the various participants in the agricultural value chain.

For NSIA, the agricultural sector is a core sector to grow in Ivory Coast, due to its importance in terms of share of local GDP. AATIF’s loan leverages the already existing established agriculture financing footprint of NSIA in the region and further seeks to support the diversification of its product offering to include equipment leasing, mid-term investment loans, factoring and agricultural seasonal loans. Further the longer tenor of AATIF’s facility is intended to support NSIA’s product lines that offer longer tenors to agricultural customers – a crucial element in agricultural financing.

In the view of AATIF, NSIA is a critical partner in the region, with whom it aims to help meet the needs of the agricultural sector whose annual funding requirements are steadily increasing as a result of economic and demographic growth.

Technical Assistance Project Highlight

Introductory training to improve the skills and capacity of the Social and Environmental Coordinator

Challenge: Insufficient support to NSIA’s commitment to implementing a Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) according to internationally accepted standards.

TA Intervention: Introductory training for Social and Environmental Coordinator to facilitate the implementation of the bank’s SEMS Development Action Plan.

Result: Increased capacity of the Social and Environmental Coordinator and successful implementation of NSIA’s SEMS Development Action Plan enabling the bank to be better equipped to manage social and environmental risks and impacts in its overall loan portfolio.

Agricultural portfolio

21 %

Agricultural portfolio as a percentage of total bank portfolio 12/2018

agricultural sub-loans

18

Number of agricultural sub-loans benefitting from AATIF funding seasonally

Number of employees

512

Female employees

504

Male employees

NSIA has a total of 1,016 employees, comprised of 504 male employees (49%) and 512 female employees (51%).

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY

The TA Facility has supported NSIA Banque through the implementation of six TA projects in total since 2019, this includes one ongoing rapid appraisal study to assess the impact of the AATIF investment.

TA Facility Projects

2019
Introductory training for Social and Environmental Coordinator

2022
Follow-up training: Social and environmental risk assessment and management

2022
Rapid appraisal study of the AATIF investment in NSIA Banque

2023
Mapping scope 1, 2 and 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions

2024
Agriculture sector strategy development

2024
Assessment of climate risks and opportunities using the TCFD framework

  • Figures are based on latest available self-reported data by investees and data collected by AATIF’s collaboration partners
  • Figures are subject to change as and when additional information becomes available
  • Figures reported here are not replacing rapid appraisals / impact evaluations that are done in addition