Ghana explores a return to International bond market

Ghana on Wednesday launched a series of investor meetings in Europe and the U.S. with a view to launching a $1 billion U.S. dollar-denominated bond—and possibly a second issue of up to $1.5 billion later in the year.

Ghana’s bond issuance plans form part of its efforts to stabilize its finances, even as the fall in commodity prices continues to undermine its efforts. The country raised $1 billion a year ago with a dollar-denominated bond, just weeks after requesting a bailout from the IMF.

At the end of August, the IMF’s board approved the second disbursement under that three-year support program.

The International Development Association, a member of the World Bank, has agreed to guarantee up to $400 million to support Ghana’s external debt financing, one of the banks organizing the investor meetings said.

Fitch Ratings, which is expected to assign a BB- rating to the up-to-$1-billion issue, said the IDA’s partial credit guarantee was a factor in its rating decision.

Analysts have voiced concerns over the continued pressure Ghana’s finances are facing. “The fall in oil and gold prices as well the overall economic slowdown may put the 7.3% fiscal deficit target at risk,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said. BoAML expects a 7.9% fiscal deficit for 2015.

Moody’s Investors Service assigned a provisional rating of (P)B1 to the proposed bond issue and said it expects to remove the provisional status of the rating on the closing of the proposed issuance and a review of its final terms.

Moody’s also said that separately the government of Ghana has approvals from parliament to issue an additional $1.5 billion Eurobond in 2015 without guarantee. The ratings agency added that it will assign a provisional rating of (P)B3, in line with the issuer rating to a subsequent bond issuance upon review of the provisional terms.

The banks hired to organize the current investor meetings are Barclays BCS -0.73%, Deutsche Bank DBK.XE -0.99% and Standard Chartered Bank STAN.LN -1.51%.