Interview with Nabil Tahari, Managing Director of IB Holding, head of IB Bank Togo, with a strategy consisting of inclusive diversification of activities to contribute to the sustainable development of African countries.
Can you tell us about IB Bank Togo and its holding company?
IB Bank Togo was created through IB Holding's acquisition of the Togolese Bank for Commerce and Industry (BTCI) at the end of December 2021. The latter had been established in 1974 and, until December 2021, was a state-controlled bank.
Following an international call for tenders, the technical and financial offer from IB Holding was selected to take over 90% of the share capital of BTCI, which has since become IB Bank Togo.
The creation of the Holding is fairly recent, even though the banking activities carried out were long-standing through the banking entities IB Bank Burkina and IB Bank Djibouti. The creation of a holding company was therefore necessary to support the shareholders' development ambitions, and the choice of Togo to house the holding company's headquarters was a natural choice. Lomé is a financial hub and a strong financial center in the West African sub-region. IB Holding is currently a financial holding company, which will carry the stakes in the various subsidiaries in Togo, Burkina Faso and Djibouti, and will evolve into an operational holding company that will ultimately manage the external growth strategy and the major development axes of the various subsidiaries.
To achieve this, we cultivate our pioneering spirit and draw on strong historical values, a capacity for continuous innovation, and the daily commitment of our employees. We work tirelessly to offer high value-added products and services and to build genuine bonds of trust with regulators and customers.
Our main ambition is to consolidate the strengths of our pan-African universal banking model, and to make the most of new technologies linked to digitalization in order to enable better customer service.
Finally, we are convinced that in carrying out our work, we must be exemplary. In this context, our corporate social responsibility policy is at the heart of our business. It allows us to conduct our activities ethically and contribute to the sustainable development of our community.
Coming back more specifically to IB Bank Togo, we have a fairly wide territorial network, with a network of 21 branches, 2 advanced sales points, 29 ATMs and 45 EFTs. The diversity of our services and the quality of our products make our bank a benchmark in supporting businesses and individuals. Integration into a banking group will take our Togo subsidiary to the next level, through the integration and pooling of services, diligence in handling strategic issues, and the facilitation of customer transactions.
In acquiring BTCI, what is IB Holding's strategy?
Before answering this question, allow us to express our gratitude to the Togolese authorities for the actions and measures they continue to take to improve the business climate in Togo, which climate was decisive in the decision for IB Holding to arrive in TOGO.
It should also be recalled that the establishment of IB Bank in Togo was made possible by the will of a visionary businessman, Mr. Mahamadou Bonkoungou, Chairman and CEO of the EBOMAF group, who made Togo his second homeland.
Establishing a banking subsidiary in Togo is a logical continuation of the Group's expansion, following the opening and establishment of our banking subsidiaries in Burkina Faso and Djibouti. The acquisition of BTCI therefore represents an important step in our ambition to create a pan-African banking group, which will support individuals, businesses, and governments in their development projects.
Our ambition through the acquisition of BTCI is to achieve a profound transformation of this flagship of the banking sector, to make it the leading bank at the national level. This vision will be implemented through strategic development axes, notably through support for small and medium-sized enterprises, the digitalization of banking services, structuring financial inclusion, a strong customer focus, and continuous improvement of the quality of service and the product offering to customers.
To achieve this, our leitmotif will be the search for excellence, both in products and services, but also in the human resources that will be at the service of customers.
Do you intend to participate in the financing of major projects included in the government's 2020-2025 roadmap?
We firstly congratulate the government on the adoption of this ambitious plan, the objective of which is to achieve a structural, sustainable, homogeneous and equitable transformation of the economy.
Our group's goal is to positively impact the economies and economic players in the countries in which we operate. This is why we will work alongside the government and support any projects that are initiated.
This support may take various forms, such as direct financing from the State, advisory support for structuring projects and financing, and support for the private sector. This is the place for us to invite economic actors, whether clients of IB Bank Togo or not, who are project leaders, to contact us for possible support.
We clearly plan to bring real added value to the Togolese economy, our guiding principle being our slogan "IB Bank Togo, partner of your success".
What products will you offer, particularly for Togolese companies?
For our customers and prospects, beyond the quality of service and the relational approach that we favor, we offer them innovative products, adapted to their operating and investment needs.
Innovation is therefore at the heart of our strategy. With this in mind, we are focusing on digitalization to meet mobility needs, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We aim to provide real added value to each of our clients. We offer a wide range of products and services tailored to businesses, including investment financing, operating cycle financing, and international transaction financing (import and export). We have a large network of banking correspondents that allows us to handle international transactions quickly and securely.
In addition to these products, our development plan includes providing customers with digital and dematerialization products, including secure online banking solutions and tools to facilitate banking transactions.
We therefore urge economic players, small, medium, and large local or international companies to trust us by entrusting us with their operations. IB Bank Togo is resolutely focused on the pursuit of excellence in service quality, and our commitment will not waver in achieving this ideal.
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