US$8.7 billion Eurobond listed on Ghana Stock Exchange

A US$8.7-billion Eurobond has been listed on the secondary bond market of the Ghana Stock Exchange as of the end of January 2020.

This is compared with the US$3.7 billion listed on the GSE in January 2019.

The US$8.7 billion is part of Ghana’s public debt stock of about GHS216 billion at the end of November 2019.

Ghana raised a US$2-billion Eurobond in May 2018, US$3 billion in March 2019 and US$3 billion in February 2020.

This makes it a total of US$8 billion borrowed by the Nana Akufo-Addo government since assuming office in January 2017.

In 2017, Ghana did not go to the international capital market to borrow via Eurobond.

From the statistics, Ghana borrowed more via the international sovereign market in the last three years though the debt profile appears better than previously.

According to trading data by the GSE, corporate bonds listed on the market, which is primarily the Energy Sector Support Levy (ESLA) bonds, are GHS8.3 billion at the end of January 2020.

This is against the GHS7.6 billion of the same period last year.

The government of Ghana Notes, Bonds and Bills listed on the GSE are a total of GHS87.8 billion in January 2020.

Comparatively, it was GHS54.9 billion in January 2019.

Ghana first went onto the international capital market in 2007 to borrow US$750 million.

The 10-year dollar bond, which matured in 2017, was sold at par to yield 8.5 per cent. At the time the dollar to the cedi ratio was US$/GHS0.95 (95 pesewas).