West Africa
Burkinabe business leaders in three-way fight for Orabank

Ivory Coast
Banker Simon Tiemtoré makes final push to take over Oragroup

The Vista boss travelled to Abidjan in late December to resume talks on the takeover of Togo-based bank Oragroup, owned by Emerging Capital Partners.

Ivory Coast
Orabank deal stalls over contested sale price

Vista reached an agreement in August with Emerging Capital Partners to acquire the pan-African banking group Orabank, of which ECP is the main shareholder. But a disagreement over sale price means the deal is yet to be finalised.

The New Guard
Burkina Faso, Kenya, DRCongo

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

Burkina Faso Roland Yago, the financier ranking West African banks

Kenya Shikoh Kihika, an 'artivist' fighting tribalism

DRC Eric Mukuma, afterlife and environmental entrepreneur

Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast
Kaboré aides reinvent themselves in Abidjan finance

Vista Bank boss Simon Tiemtoré has invited two men who advised the former Burkinabe president to join him in Ivory Coast's economic capital.

Ivory Coast
Corruption probe engulfs more banks

An investigation into money laundering involving the Société Générale Côte d'Ivoire, has spread to three other banks in Ivory Coast which are all thought to have been the victim of similar fraudulent schemes.

Gabon
Dismissed in Libreville in its dispute with Orabank, Titane Constructions turns to the CCJA

For two years, the company Titane Constructions has been seeking compensation after the public auction of a piece of land valued at nearly €20m by the bank Orabank. The matter has been referred to the Ohada Common Court of Justice and Arbitration.

Ivory Coast
Charles Kié's SBNA consortium fails to buy CGRAE's shares of Orabank

Led by Ivorian banker Charles Kié and former AfDB president Donald Kaberuka, the SNBA joint venture has failed to wrap up the takeover of the Caisse générale des agents de l'Etat's (CGRAE) shares in the Orabank group.

West Africa
Tycoon Bonkoungou launches new airline in Togo

Following on from his company Liza Transport International (LTI), Mahamadou Bonkoungou, head of the EBOMAF group, is preparing to launch a new carrier in Togo dedicated to regular flights.

Africa, Switzerland
Santullo family assets in at least five Swiss banks still frozen amid graft probe

Sericom, the Italian construction group founded by the late Guido Santullo, continues to face legal proceedings in France and Switzerland over allegations of bribery. Earlier this month, Santullo's family conclusively lost a long legal fight to recover some 90bn CFA francs (about $150m) it says Gabon owes it in unpaid invoices.

Africa, France
After BNP, Société Générale ponders sale of African subsidiaries

Having being hit hard by American and European sanctions against Russia, where it owns Rosbank, the French bank Société Générale has, like BNP Paribas, begun to consider a possible withdrawal from Africa.