The Minister of Economy and Finance, Jean-Baptiste Ondaye, inaugurated the BSCA-Bank branch in Poto Poto (3rd district of Brazzaville) on Friday September 22, 2023. In the presence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Bank of China, Gu Shu, and the General Director of BSCA-Bank (Banque Sino Congolaise pour l'Afrique), Wang Shenghong. This ceremony was marked by the unveiling of the inaugural plaque and the cutting of the symbolic ribbon. The construction of this building cost 987 million FCFA, for all the work, and provides support to the City Center agency.

This imposing 3-story building, located in the heart of Poto-Poto, more precisely at the intersection of Rue Haoussa and Avenue de la Paix, will allow the surrounding populations to stop at this agency, instead of going to the Downtown for their various transactions. The building is composed, on the ground floor, of a cash register and an ATM operating 24 hours a day. On the first floor there are offices and a VIP customer counter, while on the 2nd floor there are offices and a large information room.

In his welcome speech, the Mayor of the 5-Ouenzé district, Marcel Nganongo, representing his counterpart from Poto-Poto, Jacques Elion, reflected the enthusiasm of the populations of the 3rd district since Wednesday July 13, 2021, during the ceremony relating to the laying of the first stone for the construction of the BSCA agency, in a very commercial environment. “The joy of the people of Poto-Poto is greater, because the building that appears before you not only embellishes and furnishes the architectural facade of our cosmopolitan, fraternal and legendary city, but also and above all promotes business », declared Marcel Nganongo.

“By establishing a BSCA agency in Poto-Poto, I can assure you that this is the result of a good prospective study that you were able to carry out with professionalism. Because this agency is located in a good place, a real economic and financial lung of the Municipality of Brazzaville, where various commercial activities teem, with a very dynamic informal sector, which only remains to be formalized,” he said. added.

The Director General of BSCA-BANK, Wang Shenghong, for his part, welcomed the consecration of a new page in the history of bilateral relations between China and Congo woven on the basis of the Beijing Protocol, signed Thursday June 12, 2014, in the Chinese capital, in the presence of Chinese President, Xi Xinping, and his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou-N'Guesso. “In this Protocol, our development strategy is clearly stated, namely: conquer the Congolese territory, before going to conquer the rest of Africa. Today, we are inaugurating the Poto-Poto agency, which is part of the first stage of this Strategy. We want to get closer to our customers, before supporting them in carrying out their various projects. We want to offer financial services to as many people as possible and integrate them into the banking circuit, thus participating in local or community initiatives,” said Wang Shenghong.

The latter took advantage of this opportunity to present the short and medium term development prospects of his institution, namely: the inauguration of another agency in Bacongo, second district of Brazzaville; the construction of an agency in Oyo (in the Cuvette department) on land already acquired; the construction of a large agency in Pointe-Noire (economic capital of Congo), in Dolisie (in the Niari department) and outside the Congolese borders.

The BSCA Bank, the result of strengthening relations between China and Congo

After discussing the long-standing good relations of fraternity and friendship between Congo and China, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Jean-Baptiste Ondaye, underlined the importance of the Beijing Protocol, which made it possible to create this financial institution. “Since the start of its activities in July 2015, this bank has quickly established itself in the banking landscape of our country. Indeed, from 4.12% of the total volume of deposits in 2016, BSCA-Bank recorded 20.52% of this volume at the end of July 2023! Regarding loans to the Economy, the share held by BSCA-Bank increased from 2.13% in 2016 to 10.23% in 2023,” indicated Jean-Baptiste Ondaye.

The Congolese financier also specified that the choice of this bank in Congo illustrates the attractiveness of this country, as well as the plurality of opportunities in terms of investment and growth potential. “I hope that other investors will follow in the footsteps of this global giant,” he added.

Given that Poto-Poto is characterized by the cultural diversity of its inhabitants and above all by a dynamism of commercial activities, it is important to support the process of formalization of informal businesses, without forgetting the desire to participate more in financial inclusion populations. “I would like to take advantage of this inauguration ceremony to invite you to make your business viable, in compliance with the requirements of banks and current regulations. I hope that the strengthening of the banking presence contributes to the protection of consumers of banking products and services and, ultimately, to the harmonious financing of our Economy,” declared Jean Baptiste Ondaye.