Homepage

African Nations Issue $5.52bn in Sovereign Sukuks, Report Reveals

African Nations Issue $5.52bn in Sovereign Sukuks, Report Reveals
Monday, 17 June 2024 13:55

(Ecofin Agency) - The report points out that most sukuks on the African continent are issued in foreign currencies, with rates ranging from around 2% to over 16%. "Ijara" remains the dominant type of Islamic bond.

African countries have issued $5.52 billion in sovereign sukuks to date, representing just 0.7% of the global sukuk market, according to a report released in May by Abbas Chérif, an independent Islamic finance consultant.

3987 a ce jour les etats africains nont mis que 552 milliards de sukuks souverains rapport wak 1

The report, notes that the global total of these Sharia-compliant bonds has reached $788 billion, making up about 17% of the overall Islamic finance market. Sukuk issuances worldwide have grown significantly, from $53 billion in 2010 to over $182 billion in 2022.

In Africa, interest in Islamic bonds has been rising for nearly a decade. Nine African countries have issued a total of 773 sukuks: The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Mali, and Morocco.

The Gambia stands out with the highest number of issuances, totaling 730 operations for modest amounts. The West African country has raised $446 million through short-term sukuks with maturities ranging from 3 to 12 months.

South Africa has mobilized the largest amount, $1.54 billion, followed by Nigeria with $1.43 billion, Senegal with $985.4 million, and Côte d’Ivoire with $460 million.

23987 a ce jour les etats africains nont mis que 552 milliards de sukuks souverains rapport wak 1

African sukuk issuances are predominantly in foreign currencies and have rates ranging from about 2% (Morocco, October 2018) to over 16% (Nigeria, September 2017). The most common structure is the "ijara" (lease-based sukuk), though The Gambia frequently uses "Salam" sukuks, akin to forward contracts, where a financial institution pays in advance for future delivery of specified goods.

The report also highlights the growing appetite for sukuks among both investors and issuers in Africa. However, attracting international investors remains a challenge, as evidenced by the distribution of subscribers to South Africa's second sukuk issued in November 2023.

Most Read
01

The African Development Bank has approved a $304 million loan to Botswana to support the southe...

African Development Bank Approves $304 Million Loan to Support Botswana's Fiscal Stability and Economic Reforms 
02

BRVM and Africa50 signed a deal to create new infrastructure financing tools The plan inclu...

BRVM and Africa50 Partner to Fund Infrastructure in WAEMU
03

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliamentarians met in Lomé from May 6 to 9,...

ECOWAS Parliament Calls for Airfare Tax Cuts to Make Flying Affordable
04

Nigeria’s audit industry grew 65% in 2024, reaching 28.2 billion naira ($14.4 million). KPMG, EY,...

Big Four Hold 99% Share of Nigeria’s Audit Market in 2024
05

Africa’s digital economy is growing rapidly, and the demand for data storage, processing power, and ...

Safaricom and iXAfrica Launch East Africa’s AI-Ready Data Centre Services
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

Benjamin FLAUX
bf@agenceecofin.com 
Téls: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72
Média kit : Download

EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.