CRRH-UEMOA Rebrands as AFINHAB, Expands Housing Finance Ambitions

Investments
Friday, 12 June 2026 11:46
CRRH-UEMOA Rebrands as AFINHAB, Expands Housing Finance Ambitions

(Togo First) - CRRH-UEMOA, the Lomé-based regional mortgage refinancing institution of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), has rebranded as AFINHAB. The new name, a contraction of Afrique, finance et habitat (Africa, Finance and Housing), reflects a broader strategy to expand its role in housing finance across the union.

The announcement was made Thursday by Director General Yedau Ogoundele at the second edition of the BOAD Development Days, the annual forum of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which this year focused on sustainable housing in West Africa.

The rebranding reflects a transformation that has been under way for several years, according to information reported by Ecofin Agency. “This is not about turning the page, but about opening a new chapter,” Ogoundele said. The institution now aims to position itself as an “architect of comprehensive housing finance solutions.”

Founded in 2010 to refinance mortgage loans extended by banks within the union, the institution has progressively broadened its offering to include securitization and first-loss guarantee mechanisms.

The rebranding comes as the region grapples with a housing deficit estimated at nearly 4 million units. According to BOAD, only around 15,000 mortgage loans are granted each year across the UEMOA zone.

AFINHAB points to several recent transactions as evidence of its expanded mandate. In 2025, it raised 60 billion CFA francs through the union’s first social bond issue dedicated to affordable housing. In 2026, it completed, alongside BOAD Titrisation, the zone’s first residential mortgage-backed securitization, worth 10 billion CFA francs.

On the financial side, the Lomé-based institution reported total assets of more than 333 billion CFA francs at end-2025, up 16% year on year, while net profit rose 19% to 2.4 billion CFA francs.

According to Ecofin, AFINHAB is now preparing a 40-billion-CFA-franc social bond issue and aims to triple its financing impact by 2027.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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