• The African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) adjustment fund grants a $10 million loan to Telecel Global Services to boost digital connectivity and commercial integration in Africa.

• This financing, in the form of a guaranteed first rank repayable loan, marks the fund's first transaction and will support Telecel's expansion in Ghana and Liberia as well as bolster its infrastructure. 

Telecel Global Services has secured $10 million from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the lender announced in a statement dated July 7, 2025. According to the source, the monies will finance Telecel's expansion in Ghana and Liberia and help the firm improve its infrastructure. The move supports the telco’s efforts to boost digital connectivity and commercial integration in Africa.

This funding, a guaranteed first rank repayable loan, constitutes the first transaction of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund. This Fund was created to provide financial and technical support to governments and businesses, helping them transition to the new trade regime, as well curb any negative impact that could arise in this process.

The Adjustment Fund was set up by Afreximbank and the AfCFTA’s secretariat. It has three sub-funds: the basic fund, the general fund, and the credit fund.

The basic fund will use contributions from AfCFTA member states as well as grants and technical assistance to offset the loss of customs revenue that would result from the implementation of the continental free trade agreement.

The general fund will finance the development of infrastructures facilitating trade, while the credit fund will be used to mobilize commercial financing to help the public and private sectors to take advantage of the opportunities created by the Zone and to adapt to the resulting changes.

Telecel Global Services, a subsidiary of the Mauritius-based Telecel group, provides wholesale voice communication and SMS services as well as enterprise connectivity solutions to more than 250 telecommunications operators, primarily in Africa.

The new fund aims to help bridge Africa's digital divide through increased connectivity and digital inclusion. This will contribute to reducing trade barriers, promoting cross-border productivity, and accelerating inclusive industrialization.

"This transaction demonstrates how the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund is beginning to achieve its initial objective, namely: to support member states and the private sector in our efforts to give this agreement a significant commercial dimension," said the AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, quoted in the statement. "By investing in digital infrastructure, we are addressing some of the most critical factors for trade facilitation, industrialization, and the development of regional value chains," he added.

This article was initially published in French by Walid Kéfi

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho