The Bank’s activities in 2014 were carried out in an environment characterized by improved economic performance across the sub-region. Growth in the region went up by 6.8% compared to 5.8% in 2013, thanks to the combined effect of increased investments in infrastructure and an impressive crop year in several member countries.
Loans granted during this period, in the form of medium or longterm loans, stood at XOF264.4 billion (excluding FDE). These were in support of twenty five new investment projects in key areas such as transport and energy infrastructure, food processing, regional economic integration, access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, as well as agricultural and environmental resilience.
Reduced vulnerability of farmers to weather vagaries and improved living conditions of the populations during these operations attracted special attention from the Bank, as usual. The Bank also set up a crop insurance scheme, with the funding of two pilot projects in Benin and Senegal, as well as support for the design of two similar projects in Burkina Faso and Mali. The objective of these interventions was to support the establishment of crop insurance institutions in each member country, particularly through implementation.
