A SUB-REGIONAL BASE

Through our two specialised subsidiaries in the CEMAC, our group is the first independent group to deploy a multi-boutique model for institutional and wealthy clients in the sub-region.

Cameroon

With a population of over 25 million in 2019, Cameroon is a lower middle-income country. Bordering the Atlantic Ocean, it shares borders with the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Chad. The regions bordering Nigeria (North West and South West) are English-speaking, while the rest of the country is French-speaking. Cameroon is richly endowed with natural resources (oil and gas, minerals and precious wood) and agricultural resources (coffee, cotton, cocoa, maize and cassava).

Gabon

Gabon is an upper-middle income country with significant natural resources, a low population density, a population of 2 million (2017) and 85% of its territory covered by forest. Gabon is Africa's fifth largest oil producer, with the oil sector accounting for an average of 80% of exports, 45% of GDP and 60% of budgetary revenues over the past five years. 

In 2021, ESS Group's subsidiary structured and centralised the "EOG 6% Net 2021-2026", the sixth bond issue of the Gabonese government, whose subscription period was from 21 May to 3 June 2021. ESS Bourse raised CFAF 188,827,750,000 on the CEMAC financial market, compared to the CFAF 175 billion initially requested.

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR), a sparsely populated country (5.4 million), is endowed with impressive agricultural potential, enormous mineral resources and vast forests. Economic activity in 2020 slowed but remained positive at around 0.8% - more than 2 percentage points lower than its 2019 level. This slowdown in economic activity is mainly due to COVID-19 and the associated restrictive measures that have affected the dynamics of trade between CAR and the rest of the world and created disruptions in the supply chains of inputs and foodstuffs. On the other hand, the dynamics of the agricultural sector helped to limit the decline in economic activity in 2020.

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea, according to a 2015 population census, has a population of 1.2 million. The country is endowed with arable land and mineral resources ranging from gold, oil, uranium, diamond and columbite-tantalite, including oil discovered in the 1990s. According to a 2015 population census, the population is 1.2 million. 
The country has been one of the fastest growing economies in Africa over the past decade. After the discovery of significant oil reserves in the 1990s, Equatorial Guinea became the third largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Chad

Chad is a Sahelian country in Central Africa and has been an oil producer since 2003. Economic activity in Chad is essentially primary (46% of GDP in 2011) and has long been dominated by livestock and food crops. 
Since the early 2000s, the prospects for development have changed radically thanks to factors of geographical economy and changes in the mobilisable factor endowment, namely the discovery and exploitation of oil resources.
Over the past decade, external financing has driven the dynamics of the formal productive system. Foreign direct investment has been stimulated by the development of telecommunications and especially by the exploitation of oil deposits.

Congo

The Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), located in Central Africa, covers an area of 342,000 km2 and its population of 5.7 million is predominantly young, with 47% under the age of 18.
Largely covered by tropical forests, the Republic of Congo also has one of the largest areas of tropical peatlands, a fragile ecosystem that captures carbon from the atmosphere and stores it, thus helping to slow global warming. The oil sector accounts for more than half of the country's GDP and more than 80% of its exports, making it one of the 10 largest producers in Africa. The country also has abundant mining resources, most of which have yet to be exploited.
In 2021, ESS Group's subsidiary structured and centralised the Republic of Congo's "EOCG 6.25% Net 2021-2026" bond issue, the second bond issue by the State of Congo, which raised CFAF 113,230,000,000 on the regional financial market, compared to the CFAF 100 billion initially sought.