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Durban, 19 November 2021 – African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has signed financing agreements with four Zimbabwean entities for a total of US$188,600,000. The deals, concluded during the second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021) currently taking place in Durban, were agreed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The trade fair opened on 15 November in Durban and runs until 21 November.
On Wednesday, Afreximbank signed with the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission & Distribution Company (ZETDC) a US$110.4 million Syndicated Term Loan Facility. The funds will help ZETDC to improve revenue collection through smart meters and prepaid meters and thus pay off regional creditors’ accounts.
In addition, Afreximbank provided the Central African Building Society with a US$40 million facility to support its participation in a syndicated facility aimed at improving the supply of electricity in Zimbabwe through the payment of legacy debt and the importation of prepaid meters.
The third transaction, which is a US$28.2 million dual-tranche facility, was agreed with CBZ Bank to provide much needed offshore foreign currency in Zimbabwe. The transaction will also help finance the import of raw materials for key industries, thereby creating jobs and, in some cases, facilitating export diversification.
ZB Bank has also signed a US$10 million term sheet that will enable its participation as one of the syndicated lenders in a facility for the energy sector in Zimbabwe. By providing adequate financing for power generation and transmission infrastructure, the facility will help companies in Zimbabwe’s mining, manufacturing and industrial sectors to increase their capacity, thereby contributing to exports and GDP, with a knock-on effect on employment levels and foreign exchange generation.
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About Afreximbank: African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. Afreximbank deploys innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. The Bank has a rich history of intervening in support of African countries in times of crisis. Through the Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (PATIMFA) launched in April 2020, Afreximbank has disbursed more than US$6.5 billion in 2020 to help member countries manage the adverse impact of financial, economic, and health shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has completed the development of a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Afreximbank is working with the AU and the AfCFTA Secretariat to develop an Adjustment Facility to support countries in managing the impact of tariff revenue losses arising from the implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area. At the end of 2020, the Bank’s total assets and guarantees stood at US$21.5 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$3.4 billion. Afreximbank disbursed more than US$42 billion between 2016 and 2020. The Bank has ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A-), Moody’s (Baa1) and Fitch (BBB-). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.
For more information, visit: www.afreximbank.com
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