Business Report

Africa Finance Corporation secures $100m facility to boost continental infrastructure drive

Siphelele Dludla|Published

Banji Fehintola, AFC’s executive board member and head of financial services, described the facility as a key milestone in advancing the Corporation’s strategic objectives.

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The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has strengthened its push to accelerate infrastructure and industrial development across the continent after securing a $100 million, five-year loan facility from the Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank).

The agreement, signed during AFC’s recent Investor Day in London, marks another milestone in the long-standing relationship between the two institutions and highlights growing financial cooperation between Africa and India.

The facility will provide medium-term capital aimed at supporting critical infrastructure projects across sectors such as power, transport, telecommunications, and heavy industry.

The transaction comes at a time of heightened global market volatility and shifting investor sentiment, conditions that have made access to affordable, long-term financing increasingly challenging for emerging markets.

Against this backdrop, AFC’s ability to tap into alternative liquidity sources beyond traditional capital markets is seen as strategically significant.

By securing funding from a major export credit institution like India Exim Bank, AFC is not only diversifying its funding base but also extending its debt maturity profile.

This enhances the Corporation’s capacity to deploy flexible and cost-efficient capital into high-impact projects that underpin industrialisation and economic growth across Africa.

The deal builds on a previous $100m financing arrangement concluded between the two institutions in 2021, reinforcing a partnership anchored in a shared vision of expanding infrastructure and trade linkages between Africa and India.

It also reflects a broader trend of deepening engagement between African development finance institutions and Asian capital providers seeking long-term investment opportunities on the continent.

Banji Fehintola, AFC’s executive board member and head of financial services, described the facility as a key milestone in advancing the Corporation’s strategic objectives. He emphasised that access to diversified and long-term capital remains critical to delivering transformative infrastructure projects across Africa.

This facility is an important milestone in our long-standing partnership with India Exim Bank and reflects our shared commitment to advancing infrastructure development across Africa,” Fehintola said.

“Access to diversified and long-term capital is critical to delivering transformative projects on the continent, and AFC remains at the forefront, leveraging strategic collaborations with leading institutions to scale our impact and accelerate Africa’s industrialisation.”

Since its establishment in 2007, AFC has positioned itself as a leading infrastructure solutions provider, combining project development expertise with financial and technical advisory capabilities.

The Corporation has invested more than $18.5 billion across 36 African countries and now counts 48 member states, underscoring its growing influence in shaping the continent’s infrastructure landscape.

India Exim Bank, established in 1982 and wholly owned by the Government of India, has played a central role in promoting India’s international trade and investment footprint. Its collaboration with AFC reflects India’s broader strategy to strengthen economic ties with Africa through trade finance, investment support, and development partnerships.

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