A solid and historical presence

Over time

Tunisia in 1956, Guinea in 1958, the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa in 1960 and, finally, Algeria in 1962: it was decolonisation time for France's African colonies. In accordance with the legislation of these newly independent countries, Societe Generale changed the status of its African operations by turning its network of branches into a network of subsidiaries. This is what happened with the Société Générale de Banques in Côte d'Ivoire, which was founded in November 1962 in partnership with the country's government and other international banks. The same process was followed in Senegal, Cameroon and Morocco (where the Group was already present in 1913). 

Societe Generale Group then underwent a second stage of development on the African continent at the end of the 1990s: Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Algeria, Madagascar, Benin and Ghana.

In 2015,  Societe Generale entered a new phase in its development, with the opening of Société Générale Togo and of Societe Generale Moçambique.

With this historical presence and geographic network, Societe Generale is now the leading international bank in West Africa.

A strong network 

Due to its historical anchorage, but also thanks to recognized expertise, Societe Generale  is a leading bank in most African countries today, with large market shares (over 10% in more than half of the countries where the Group is present, and sometimes over 20%).

Click here to view Societe Generale Group's network in Africa

Unique position

With an extensive and high quality retail banking network on the continent, Societe Generale benefits from a unique position combining the advantages of an international bank and the proximity of a local bank. In Africa, Societe Generale supports local economies and caters to 4.5 million clients 175,000 of which are corporate clients.