The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has launched the maiden edition of its West African Development Outlook (WADO) and RENDEZ-VOUS quarterly newsletter under the auspices of Dr George Agyekum Donkor, its President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

In attendance at the virtual launching ceremony were members of EBID's Board of Governors, Board of Directors, ECOWAS institutions and agencies, bilateral and multilateral partners, and the press corps.

An official statement signed by Angelo Dadzie from Communication and External Relations Unit of EBID and copied the GNA said the launch of the Bank's knowledge products was aimed at enhancing the socio-economic discourse of the sub-region.

It is also to inform and bring value to ECOWAS Member States, and brand the Bank not only as a Development Finance Institution (DFI) but also as a Knowledge Institution, abreast with the socio-economic challenges of the sub-region and therefore better positioned to partner Member States in the post COVID-19 transformation agenda.

Dr Donkor explained that "the WADO is an annual publication of socio-economic indicators in the sub-region, which reports on the performance and outlook at the country level as well as the sub-regional level, with recommendations on how to navigate some of the development challenges of the sub-region in the short -to - medium-term.

He said: "The publication is made up of four sections, namely, performance and prospects, policy options, country briefs and a statistical appendix." The RENDEZ-VOUS, on the other hand, is a quarterly Newsletter (print and online), which provides relevant and valuable information about the Bank's activities and a platform for sharing development content to engage stakeholders.

"It is structured into news and events, quarterly focus, an opinion segment, and diverse content relating to EBID's partners. Dr Donkor urged all stakeholders of EBID to delve into the publications to better understand and partner EBID to transform ECOWAS communities.

EBID) is a leading regional investment and development bank, owned by the fifteen (15) ECOWAS Member States, namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Based in Lomé, Togolese Republic.

The Bank is committed to financing developmental projects and programmes covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows. EBID intervenes through long, medium, and short-term loans, equity participation, lines of credit, refinancing, financial engineering operations and related services.