LONDON, June 4 – The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has raised a record $2 billion through a syndicated loan facility, marking the largest fundraising transaction in the institution’s history and reinforcing investor confidence in Africa’s long-term infrastructure and industrial growth prospects.
The infrastructure-focused development finance institution initially sought to raise $1.6 billion but increased the size of the facility after attracting strong interest from international lenders.
AFC Chief Executive Samaila Zubairu told Reuters that the money would enable “more master planning around infrastructure and industrial planning for economies”, regions and economic corridors across the continent.
He noted that the capital would enable broader planning and execution of large-scale projects aimed at strengthening regional connectivity, industrial capacity and economic competitiveness.
The transaction was led by major international financial institutions, including Barclays, Commerzbank, First Abu Dhabi Bank and FirstRand Bank.
Zubairu said the successful fundraising reflects growing confidence among global investors in Africa’s ability to deliver and execute transformative infrastructure projects.
He pointed to AFC’s involvement in landmark developments across the continent, including financing support for the Dangote Refinery and Africa’s largest copper smelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to him, these projects demonstrate that large-scale industrial investments can be successfully developed and operated across African markets.
The AFC also plans to use its growing influence to support reforms aimed at retaining more African capital within the continent.
The institution is working on initiatives designed to improve investment structures and regulatory frameworks that would allow pension funds, institutional investors and other pools of domestic capital to play a larger role in financing infrastructure development.
Founded in 2007, AFC has grown into one of Africa’s leading infrastructure financiers, with total assets exceeding $19 billion and a membership base spanning 48 African countries.
The organization has also strengthened its standing in global capital markets through a series of strong credit ratings. Earlier this year, it secured an A rating from S&P Global Ratings, complementing existing investment-grade ratings from other international agencies.
The latest fundraising highlights increasing global appetite for African infrastructure investments and provides AFC with additional firepower to support projects that drive industrialization, job creation and economic transformation across the continent.
