AFC gets $300m facility from Chinese export-import bank
Adesola Afolabi was a businessamlive reporter and Head of Financial desk.
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), an infrastructure development finance institution, has announced its successful acquisition of a $300 million loan facility f
rom the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM).
The acquisition consists of a $200 million 5-year loan and a $100 million 5-year standby facility for general corporate purpose.
The facility from CEXIM marks AFC’s inaugural financing facility from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This also follows the corporation’s strategic focus to build a broad coalition of investors by diversifying its fundraising activities to include all sources of institutional capital in East Asia, in addition to its existing partners in Europe & North America.
Apart from the medium-term liquidity that this proposed facility will provide, it will also further provide contingent funding support which is particularly important for liquidity risk management as well as opening up other financing and relationships with Chinese entities (both state-owned and private).
It has also been agreed that the signing of the facility agreement shall mark the first step into what will be a long and beneficial relationship with CEXIM, including AFC’s support to CEXIM’s Africa strategy, looking at their portfolio of assets and advising them on how to optimise its loan book on the continent.
Samaila Zubairu, president & CEO at AFC, said “In the last two decades, China has grown from a relatively small investor, to becoming one of Africa’s largest trading partners today.
“This facility is therefore not only a milestone for the Corporation and its strategy for the far East, but also marks a natural evolution in the growing financial sophistication of China in Africa, a necessary development required to accelerate Africa’s journey towards closing the infrastructure deficit.”
Zubairu stated that AFC welcomes CEXIM’s commitment towards its Africa strategy, and “we look forward to lending our expertise on how best to deliver sustainable infrastructure investment that should catalyse industrial growth on the continent.”