devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
EB-Accion Savings & Loan The project involves IFC purchasing common shares of up to 15% in EB-ACCION (the company), a new microfinance institution in Ghana established to provide access to finance to more than 26,000 micro and small entrepreneurs.  The project sponsor is Ecobank Ghana, and technical services will be provided by ACCION International.  Other shareholders include ACCION Investments in Microfinance (AIM) and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI).  IFCs equity investment may be complemented by funding of up to $5 million in local currency, and will be accompanied by a $1.7 million Technical Assistance package for the setting up the company.  Up to 50% of this allocation will come from IFC, and the remainder from a combination of Ecobank, and ACCION.  ACCION will be the principal provider of technical services to the project. Development Impact:  Consistent with the objective of supporting sustainable private sector development, this investment has high developmental impact prospects.  The company will have well trained personnel as well as a strong institutional capacity to operate profitably without external assistance.  Savings and lending activities will be distributed across the country, reaching areas that have inadequate access to finance.  In addition the project will assist in the following developments:  - Development of the financial sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.   Improving the capacity of financial institutions will result in increased efficiency and stability in the financial markets.  A sound financial sector contributes to the development of the local economy and attracts foreign investment.   - Development of the MSME sector:   The MSME sector makes up a large share of Ghanas economic output and makes several vital contributions, including the creation of jobs and increasing economic activity. Increased access to finance and capacity building for this sector, facilitated by the program, can lead to higher levels of entrepreneurial activity, private sector development and improvement in economic output.  Furthermore, the project would support the Government of Ghanas objective of accelerating poverty reduction by furthering sustainable, equitable economic growth and will:  - increase MSME access to finance;  - promote the competitiveness of selected industries, including know-how transfer between large businesses and MSME;  - promote a conducive business environment for domestic and foreign investment;
EBG Tier2 II The proposed Project consists of a Tier II qualifying subordinated debt of US$20 million to Ecobank Ghana (EBG or the Bank).  IFCs investment aims to strengthen the capital base of the Bank and support its growth and diversification strategy in the retail and medium size enterprises segments. (i)	Financial Inclusion: with a robust capital base, EBG will be in a position to broaden and deepen its financial services to the various economic agents, including to the SMEs. These SMEs are drivers of economic growth.  (ii)	Industry Resilience: with a stronger capital base, EBG, somewhat contributes to the resilience of the Ghanaian banking sector.
UT Bank Project UT Bank (the Project) is focused on lending to the underserved SME sector in Ghana.   Investment Services: IFC will offer UT Bank a suite of products: An equity investment up to $ 15mn (approximately GHS 22.5mn equivalent) in UT Bank Ltd. (the Company or the Bank). IFC together with the Funds managed by IFC Asset Management Company (IFC Funds) will invest up to $15mn Ghana Cedi equivalent. This will be done through a private placement of new common equity shares. Alternatively IFC and the IFC Funds will invest up to $15mn Tier 1 qualifying compulsory convertible subordinated debt in UT Bank to ensure the Bank meets the regulatory requirements for Tier 1 capital as set out by the Bank of Ghana. The combined shareholding of IFC and the IFC Funds would not exceed 30% on successful conclusion of the transaction.   A Senior Loan Facility of up to $5mn. The loan will be denominated in US$. Proposed term is 5 years with a 2 year capital moratorium.  A $ 10mn  Trade Finance Facility under the GTFP Delegated Program Authority. The Facility will guarantee trade transactions of up to 12 months.   Advisory Services: UT Bank is committed towards developing a comprehensive partnership with IFC, and, under that same context, Bank management has also expressed interest in a parallel development of products from Advisory Services in order to strengthen both the operations and the corporate governance of the Bank. The Project is expected to have high development impact in the following areas:     (i)	Improved Access to Finance:  Injecting fresh capital into the Bank would allow for growth as the Bank would be able to further leverage itself to fund growth in the strategic focus area of SME and the currently unbanked rural populous.     (ii)	Demonstration Effect:  IFC is helping to demonstrate the soundness and viability of the Ghana Banking Sector. It is expected that there will be new private sector entrants be it via new institutions or additional investment in existing enterprises, this will help to increase the reach of financial services and products in Ghana.
BOA Ghana Project Investment Services: IFC will offer BOA Ghana (the Bank) a suite of products namely, an equity investment up to US$ 8mn (approximately GHS 13mn equivalent) in BOA Ghana Ltd. (the Bank) for a shareholding of up to 19.9% through a private placement of new common equity shares, a Senior Loan Facility of up to US$ 10mn. The loan will be denominated in US$ with a proposed term of between 5-7 years and lastly a US$ 10mn Trade Finance Facility under the GTFP Delegated Program Authority. The Facility will guarantee trade transactions of up to 360 months. The Project is expected to have high development impact in the following areas:   (i)	Improved Access to Finance:  Injecting fresh capital into the Bank would allow for growth as the Bank would be able to further leverage itself to fund growth in the strategic focus area of SME and the currently unbanked rural populous.   (ii)	Demonstration Effect:  IFC is helping to demonstrate the soundness and viability of the Ghana Banking Sector. It is expected that there will be new private sector entrants be it via new institutions or additional investment in existing enterprises, this will help to increase the reach of financial services and products in Ghana.
Vitol Sankofa The Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block is a large deepwater block located 55 to 60 km offshore in the Western Region of Ghana, with estimated discovered reserves of 132 million barrels of oil and 1,079 billion cubic feet of gas. The block contains the Sankofa and Gye Nyame gas fields and the Sankofa East oil field.   The OCTP project (the project) will be developed by a joint venture (JV), composed of Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Limited (Eni Ghana), the operator of the block holding 44.4% participating interest, Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited (Vitol Ghana) holding 35.6% participating interest, and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) holding 20% participating carried interest.  The project encompasses (i) the development of the Sankofa East oil field, with first oil production planned for 2017; and (ii) the development of non-associated gas in the Sankofa and Gye Nyame fields, with first gas production planned for 2018. Ghana faces a shortage of reasonably priced fuel for power generation. Most hydropower potential is already developed, so the bulk of Ghana's future power generation capacity will rely on natural gas. Interruption in gas availability in the recent past has necessitated purchases of up to US$50 million per month of light crude oil as fuel supply for power plants. In this context, exploiting OCTP's natural gas reserves will be a game changer for Ghana's energy sector. The Project will provide enough gas to fire up to 1,000 MW, representing ~25% of Ghana's total estimated power generation capacity in 2020. The OCTP Project will therefore substitute expensive, higher emission liquid fuels currently used by the power sector of Ghana by cleaner and cheaper gas resources. As such, the Project will directly contribute to enhancing the availability of natural gas as a source for relatively cleaner power generation in Ghana, at a time when gas production from other fields in Ghana is expected to start to decline. Additionally, the Project will generate direct and indirect jobs as well as substantial fiscal receipts to the Government of Ghana through royalties and income taxes.
Ahafo Project The project companies are Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) and Rank Mining Company (Rank Mining), both wholly owned Ghanaian subsidiaries of Newmont Gold Corporation (Newmont).  The project involves the development of two mining leases: the Ahafo lease owned by NGGL and the Rank mining lease owned by Rank Mining.  Newmont gained control of the two leases (via NGGL and Rank Mining) after its merger with Normandy in 2002.  The project involves the construction of a greenfield open cast gold mine and associated facilities (the mill facility, a tailings storage facility, a water storage facility, construction camp and access roadways) to mine, process and extract gold.  It will have an estimated mine life of 20 years producing approximately 500,000 oz. of gold per annum at an estimated cash cost of $225/oz.  The projects reserves currently stand at 11.7 million ounces (157 million tonnes grading 2.31 g/tonne) with a further 15.4 million ounces of resources (217 million tones grading 2.22 g/tonne).  It is expected to start producing gold in mid 2006.
Melcom Limited IFC is considering up to a US $30 million IFC A Loan and up to a US$20 million mobilized in B/Parallel loans to Melcom Limited (the Company), a leading retailer in Ghana. The company currently has a network of 60+ retail stores, and a network of warehousing & storage assets (including cold-rooms) , as well as an e-commerce business in Ghana. The funding is to support the expansion and upgrade of its operations which includes: (i) the development of 22 new stores of approximately 128,000 m2 retail space (EDGE certified), built on Melcoms existing land bank. (ii) installation of 5-6MW of rooftop PVC solar across 22 stores, (ii) expand warehousing and storage assets (including cold-rooms) to support its own retail operations, as well as its wholesale operations to smaller retailers (iv) upgrade of the companys e-commerce platform, and IT systems, and operational systems (.i.e.; storage, handling, delivery, etc.) to support its expansion, and working capital (the Project). The Project is expected to be supported by the IDA20 Private Sector Window Local Currency Facility (IDA PSW LCF) as described in the Blended Finance Section. The most significant expected Project-level outcomes are: (i) economy-wide effects through job creation, higher tax revenues for local government and increased value added for local products; (ii) stakeholder effects through improving consumers access to modern retail in underserved areas; (iii) environmental effects through reducing CO2 emissions associated with electricity generation by developing 6-7MW of solar rooftop equipment across existing and new stores.  
Beyond these outcomes, IFC expects the Project result in an increase in competitive pressures that affect the market through expansion and subsequent increase in offering of good quality and standardized retail services across the catchment areas.
B5 Plus I Project B5 Plus is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of steel-related products in Accra, Ghana. The proposed investment is an up to US$50mln financing package to B5 Plus Limited (B5 Plus or the Company) to fund: (i) refurbishing and repurposing of a newly acquired Steel Plant at Tema Freezone  to produce rebars and wire rod coil; (ii) installation of a wire rod mill at Tema Freezone; (iii) development of a 10 MW solar plant in the Prampram facility; and (iv) funding of working capital needs, together (the Project). Economy-wide effects: The Project will support domestic value addition in the iron and steel sector, and is expected to create about 1,900 direct jobs and a large number of indirect jobs (e.g., transportation, scrap handling, among others). The Project will conserve scarce foreign exchange reserves for the Ghanaian Government, by way of import substitution through increased local production of steel.

Stakeholder effects: While customers will benefit from a broader range of steel products, the main effects on stakeholders will be on suppliers, mainly SMEs, and distributors working with the Company, who will benefit from additional scrap procurement and increased purchases of the finished product. The Project will also contribute to the abatement of pollution and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, due to greater use of steel scrap in the production process, and the increase in the share of solar energy in the Companys energy mix.

Competitiveness: The adoption of more resource efficient manufacturing processes, and increase in higher value-added output, is expected to create competitive pressures on other market players in Ghana to upgrade the efficiency of their processes and business models, through direct effects on selling prices, or replication and demonstration effects.
IFC/SCB Facility IFC and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), UK are jointly considering to establish a trade finance facility of up to US$300 million to help reduce periodic acute fuel shortages in Ghana.  The facility will provide private sector bulk distribution companies (BDCs) in Ghana access to oil import financing facilities, enabling the BDCs to import petroleum product cargoes on a regular basis, thereby helping reduce fuels shortages in Ghana.  Of the total facility amount, IFCs exposure will be up to US$150 mn through a risk sharing arrangement, whereby, IFC will effectively share the underlying credit risk of the BDCs with SCB. The project is designed to have a development impact in terms of:

Reducing Supply Interruptions:  Improving access to trade finance is designed to help the BDCs import product on a regular basis, alleviating the occurrence of petroleum product shortages in Ghana; 

Private Sector Development: The facility is designed have a role in supporting independent private sector players.; and

Supplementing Existing Facilities:  The project supplements the facilities offered by local banks and IFC's GTFP program by providing additional cost effective trade financing solutions in the Ghanaian market and helping increase the overall trade finance flows to the country.

IFC proposes to monitor the following key development impacts during the life of IFCâ?s investment:

-	The volume of petroleum products imported in Ghana through the use of this facility
-	The number of BDCs using this facility
-	The total storage infrastructure established by the BDCs in Ghana in terms of capacity
EBG Ghana PCG This is a joint project involving IDA, IFC and the Government of Ghana (GoG), consisting of a Risk Sharing Facility (RSF) of up to the local currency equivalent of $6.25 million ($12.5 million portfolio size) for Ecobank Ghana Ltd (EBG) to be used to support lending to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).  The RSF will cover up to 50% of the credit risk of Ecobanks portfolio of new SME loans, with IDA funds of up to $1.25 million covering up to 10% of the first loss risk. Ecobank will assume the 50% of the balance of the credit risk of the portfolio.  In addition to the guarantee, the project envisages two technical assistance (TA) components:    - TA to Ecobank, with the objective of transferring the necessary skills and procedures to better service the SME sector and thus enhance the banks capacity to underwrite new SME loans on a profitable and sustainable basis; and   - TA to SMEs, which aims to help bridge the gap between the SMEs and the banks by providing some basic financial and management training to the SMEs. Consistent with the objective of supporting sustainable private sector development, the RSF contributes to high development impact in two key, high-priority areas:   - Development of the financial sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.   Improving the capacity of banks can lead to increased efficiency and stability in the financial markets.  A sound financial sector contributes to the development of the local economy and attracts foreign investment.   - Development of the SME sector.   The SME sector makes up a large share of Ghanas economic output and makes several vital contributions, including the creation of jobs and increasing economic activity. Increased access to finance and capacity building for this sector, facilitated by the program, can lead to higher levels of entrepreneurial activity, private sector development and improvement in economic output.  Furthermore, the project would support the GOGs objective of accelerating poverty reduction by furthering sustainable, equitable economic growth and will:   - increase SME access to medium term finance;  - promote the competitiveness of selected industries, including enhancing linkages and know-how transfer between large businesses and SMEs and working within high potential value chains to alleviate critical bottlenecks identified through careful supply chain analysis;  - promote a conducive business environment for domestic and foreign investment;
WCSS SG GHANA SG Ghana is a tier II universal bank in Ghana. The Bank, formerly known as SG-SSB Limited, was incorporated in Ghana in 1976 with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) as its sole shareholder. In 2003, SG Financial Services Holding, a wholly owned subsidiary of Societe Generale SA, acquired 51% of the capital of the Bank and in 2009 increased the stake to 52.24%, making it the majority shareholder. The Bank is listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and provides banking services to corporate, retail and SME clients through a network of 37 branches across Ghana.  IFC will offer Societe Generale Ghana (SG Ghana or the Bank) a senior loan of up to US$30 million with a maturity of 1 year, renewable up to two times at IFCs discretion for a total period of 3 years. The purpose of the IFC investment is to provide trade-related, working capital loans to importers and distributors of critical energy and food commodities and machinery and equipment. The Facility is expected to have the following specific development impacts: i)	Increased Access to Financing for SMEs: Limited access to finance is considered a key constraint to private sector growth. Increased access to finance is indispensable to grow the competitiveness of SMEs. By directly financing the short-term needs of a local bank to support SME trade and working capital finance needs, the Project will support SMEs and will have a positive impact on economic activity in an IDA country.  ii)	Support Financing to Agribusiness Value Chain: By supporting the expansion of SG Ghana''s short-term loan portfolio directed at SMEs operating in agri-commodities, IFC will aim to strengthen the value chain by allowing traders and distributors to increase their imports and make foodstuffs more available in the country.  iii)	Support access to energy in Ghana: Continuous energy distribution is critical for sustaining key economic activities, including transportation, cooking and the operation of businesses. A steady supply of critically needed fuel through regular channels will help to improve affordability and help diminish the risk of any disruptions in the country''s supply chains.
KHI Ghana Project The Greenfield project consist of developing: (i) a 259-key 5-star hotel to be managed by Mövenpick; (ii) 9,000m2 of Class A office space (with gross lettable area 5,500m2); and (iii) 1,260m2 of retail space (with gross lettable area 900m2) in Accra, the capital of Ghana (the Project). (i)	Develop infrastructure:  The project will add to the country's critical lack of business infrastructure. 
(ii)	Job creation:  The hotel and associated development will create new direct and indirect employment.  
(iii)	Benefits to local suppliers:  The hotel is expected to source almost all of their food and non-food purchases locally, thereby providing increased business opportunities to a wide range of local suppliers and sub-contractors, most of whom are SMEs.  Going forward, KHI Ghana's operations are expected to offer a significant revenue source to these SMEs, thereby enhancing their competitiveness and growth.
A & C Mixed Use The A&C Square is an existing one-stop mixed-use concept consisting of a shopping mall, a fuel station, fitness centre, two multi-purpose office buildings, a pool area and a childrens play ground.  The mixed-use development has an ongoing expansion program. IFC has been approached to provide a loan that will be used to fast track the completion of the expansion program comprising the construction of an additional office block and the refurbishment of the existing retail area (the Project) in Accra, Ghana. i) Development of necessary business infrastructure:  The Project will alleviate the country''s critical lack of class A office space and it will improve retail services to meet the country''s growing population;  ii)  Job creation: The new office building will create new direct and indirect employment both during the permanent stage and during construction;  iii) Benefit to local suppliers:  Local procurement of construction supplies, food and services throughout construction; and iv) Skills transfer: there will be the transfer of skill and expertise in the construction and renovation of the mall and office building to the local workers
Scancom Limited Scancom Limited (Scancom or the company) is the leading provider of GSM mobile telecommunication services in Ghana, with just under one million subscribers or a 65% market share expected end of 2004.  The company launched its operations in 1996. As of December 2, 2004, Scancom is a fully licensed operator (Scancom, like all the other operators in the country, was only authorized operator until then) for a duration of 15 years. The company has also been granted a license to operate its own international gateway.  Scancom currently offers coverage in all major cities in Ghana. In addition to its GSM mobile phone services, Scancom has developed alternative wireless GSM products, including community-shared GSM handsets offering substitution for fixed line access. Scancom is also in the process of introducing a broad range of value added services.    The project supports the expansion of Scancoms network in capacity and coverage to sustain the subscriber base growth over the next three years (subscriber numbers are expected to more than double by end of 2007). The project also supports Scancoms improvement of its operating status through the funding of the companys new operating license. The project will allow also the optimization of Scancoms capital structure by increasing its leverage (the company currently has no long-term debt, the only long term liability it has is the one for the repayment of license fee).   The project is expected to cost approximately $160 million throughout 2005-2007. Scancom is seeking total external financing of $50 million.