Gov't to sell 7-year domestic bond next week

Ghana will sell a seven-year domestic bond next week with an indicated size of ¢750 million ($168 million), sources close to the transaction said on Friday.

Order books will be opened on Wednesday with final pricing on Thursday and settlement on April 16, joint book-builder Barclays Bank Ghana said. Other arrangers are local lenders Databank, Fidelity, Stanbic bank and financial house ICSecurities.

Non-resident Ghanaians will be allowed to purchase the bonds.

Government plans to borrow a total ¢11.32 billion ($2.54 bln) locally during the second quarter of this year, of which ¢8.74 billion will be used to roll over maturing debt, finance ministry data shows.

Government has also obtained parliamentary approval to issue up to $2.5 billion of sovereign debt, including a $1 billion Eurobond, by the end of this month.

The West African country is in the final year of a $918 million credit deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) aimed at restoring the public finances, including lowering public debt which hit 69.8 percent of gross domestic product in December.