Two former bankers from the French group BNP Paribas, Hussein Sefian and Faisal Khan, have initiated a new $100 million private debt impact fund focused on financing climate-resilient infrastructure projects in Africa, Reuters reported today. Named Acre Impact Capital, the fund aims to address an estimated $100 billion annual infrastructure financing gap on the continent. It will...

The Fund for Export Development in Africa (“FEDA”), Afreximbank’s impact investment subsidiary, has announced its investment into Bloom Africa Holdings Limited (BAHL), a regional financial services platform operating across West Africa. BAHL holds interests in multiple financial institutions across Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia operating as Bloom Bank Africa. These institutions...

Fitch Ratings last week reaffirmed the 'B' long-term credit rating of the West African Development Bank (BIDC), despite potential challenges from the withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.  The American rating agency noted that about half of BIDC's loans are granted to sovereigns, none of which were in default. This has been crucial in improving the average loan portfolio rating. "The...

Côte d'Ivoire has unveiled a plan to develop a certified green agricultural sector. The country partnered with Orange CI, the European Union, and German Cooperation (GIZ), to implement the "DigiGreen & Agri" project; an initiative aimed at modernizing agriculture and transition towards a green economy, with a particular focus on the cocoa industry. The strategic vision of the "DigiGreen & Agri"...

In the first quarter of 2024, Africa's private equity landscape recorded $3.5 billion across 150 transactions, marking significant declines of 52.9% in total value and 54.7% in the number of transactions compared to the same period in 2023. This downturn represents the first notable decrease in performance since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, according to the latest data from...

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has underscored the success of its program aimed at bolstering job opportunities for young people in Cameroon. At a meeting convened in Yaoundé on April 9, 2024, chaired by Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, the Bank Group’s Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery, stakeholders across various sectors gathered to discuss the...

Platinum Group Metals and Amplats have been working on a technology harnessing platinum and palladium to enhance the efficiency of lithium-ion batteries. Their efforts have borne notable fruit, with the prospect of a maiden commercial rollout slated for this year. The year 2024 could herald a pivotal juncture for palladium and platinum, given recent strides in integrating these metals into a...

About 55 million people in Central and West Africa face the risk of hunger between June and August, according to a March 2024 analysis by the Harmonized Framework on food security, released by the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). This forecast marks an increase of 4 million individuals compared to the organization's previous prediction made last November...

Trade between Côte d'Ivoire and China saw a 21% increase in 2023, reaching $5.28 billion, according to the Chinese ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Wu Jie. Speaking at a press conference in early April, the ambassador cited Chinese customs statistics which indicated that exports from China to Côte d'Ivoire totaled $4.21 billion last year, while imports from the West African nation...

The credit market in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) is dominated by a handful of companies. According to BCEAO data, nearly 30% of this market was in the hands of 400 companies at the end of December 2023. Focusing on credits reported to the union’s banking risk central which are over CFA10 million, this group of 400 entities, representing less than 1% of the productive...