Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) (www.AfricaFC.org), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, today announced an outstanding return to the global debt capital markets, successfully issuing a US$500 million 144A/Reg S Eurobond.

The benchmark five-year Note, issued at par with a coupon of 5.55%, had a negative concession with pricing inside the Corporation’s outstanding yield curve, resulting in the tightest T-spread ever achieved by AFC on a 5-year US dollar benchmark and enabling AFC to broadly reset its yield curve in the secondary market. The issuance generated significant interest across Europe, Asia, United States, and the Middle East, resulting in a peak book that was over two and a half times oversubscribed.

“After about three years of absence from the Eurobond market, we are proud of the overwhelmingly positive reception for this bond issuance, which underscores the global capital market’s continued confidence in AFC’s credit story, our holistic investor engagement strategy and support for our mandate to develop and finance infrastructure projects that will enable Africa’s sustainable industrialization and prosperity,” said Samaila Zubairu, President&CEO of AFC. “The significant oversubscription and success of this bond issue is an endorsement of our impressive financial performance, business strategy, conservative financial policies and our impact in leading transformative change in Africa.”

With an order book exceeding US$1.2 billion, the bond drew high-quality investors seeking exposure to investment-grade issuers like AFC. The Corporation’s consistent A3 credit rating, upheld since 2014 and recently reaffirmed by Moody’s, with a rating outlook change from Negative to Stable, further boosted the bond’s appeal among institutional investors. The breakdown of the order book reflected AFC’s very strong capital market access, with final allocation of Europe: 57%; North America: 23%; Middle East: 15%; and Asia: 5%.

The Eurobond was issued under AFC’s $5 billion Global Medium-Term Note (GMTN) programme. The proceeds from the bond, listed on the Euronext Dublin and the London Stock Exchange, will support AFC’s mission to drive rapid industrialisation and accelerate development impact across Africa.

Banji Fehintola, Executive Board Member and Head of Financial Services, commented: “The success of this bond signals more than just strong market access for AFC; it represents a gateway for other African issuers to follow suit. Despite market volatility, our ability to secure this level of demand affirms the resilience of AFC’s credit profile and opens new doors for Africa’s infrastructure financing.”

The issuance was coordinated by a consortium of global financial institutions, including BofA Securities, Citigroup, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Goldman Sachs International as Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners, alongside Rand Merchant Bank and SMBC Nikko as Joint Bookrunners.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

Media Enquiries:
Yewande Thorpe
Communications
Africa Finance Corporation
Mobile : +234 1 279 9654
Email : yewande.thorpe@africafc.org

About AFC: 
AFC was established in 2007 to be the catalyst for pragmatic infrastructure and industrial investments across Africa. AFC’s approach combines specialist industry expertise with a focus on financial and technical advisory, project structuring, project development, and risk capital to address Africa’s infrastructure development needs and drive sustainable economic growth.

Seventeen years on, AFC has developed a track record as the partner of choice in Africa for investing and delivering on instrumental, high-quality infrastructure assets that provide essential services in the core infrastructure sectors of power, natural resources, heavy industry, transport, and telecommunications. AFC has 43 member countries and has invested US$13 billion across Africa since inception.

www.AfricaFC.org

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Museveni, in the presence of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production General Abdel Mageed Saqr.

The Spokesman for the Presidency said General Muhoozi Museveni conveyed the greetings and appreciation of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to President El-Sisi.

The President expressed his appreciation for President Museveni and lauded the historical relations between Egypt and Uganda. In this context, both sides confirmed mutual keenness to enhance cooperation between the two countries across various fields, especially the military field.

The meeting addressed the overall regional and continental situations, and ways to enhance joint cooperation and development efforts among African countries, especially the Nile Basin countries and at the level of the Horn of Africa and East Africa, so as to achieve the common interests of all African countries.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Pan-African legal, tax and business advisory group CLG highlighted local engagement and mutual beneficiation as critical to ensuring smooth contract execution when entering Angola’s merger and acquisition landscape, as part of its pre-conference workshop at Angola Oil&Gas 2024.  

As one of the largest oil and gas producers in Africa, Angola has made gains toward establishing itself as a business-friendly market, having instituted a complete overhaul of its regulatory environment under efforts to attract foreign investment. During a strategic workshop in Luanda on Tuesday, CLG CEO and Managing Partner Zion Adeoye examined key concepts in oil and gas contracts in Angola, exploring stakeholder objectives while creating awareness of the Angolan regulatory industry.  

“Getting the deal done does not just mean signing an agreement. It means actually getting to the point to be able to operate with the agreement and – when you exit – leaving goodwill behind,” Adeoye stated, adding, “It’s important to understand the limitations of the existing legal and regulatory framework when doing business in a country or entering a country’s market.” 

During his presentation, Adeoye highlighted engagement with the local private sector as key to doing successful business in a foreign oil and gas market, such as Angola’s. He noted that local content is a national priority and that making early deals with the private sector is imperative to making subsequent deals with government entities. Engagement with local communities and businesses, including local contractors and services providers, was noted as being integral to doing business in Angola’s oil and gas sector.  

To remain competitive in attracting foreign capital and technology, Angola has implemented a series of measures to enhance its investment landscape. These include offering attractive fiscal terms for onshore exploration and incentivizing local Angolan companies through a strengthened local content policy.  

In addition to local content legislation, Adeoye stressed the importance of local advisors when making deals within Angola’s oil and gas sector. One error that investors make, Adeoye highlighted, is assuming that one legal aspect applies to numerous different jurisdictions across the continent. It is important for international investors to make differentiations between jurisdictions and obtain local advice from the localities in which they are engaging.  

With the adoption of the Tax Benefit Code in 2022, as well as amended fiscals associated with incremental production, Angola has begun to prioritize an enabling environment for companies to enter or expand within the market. Understanding this, according to Adeoye, is set to lay the foundation for international investors to succeed in securing merger and acquisition deals across the Angolan oil and gas industry in 2024 and beyond.  

In 2019, the government of Angola introduced a six-year licensing round offering regular block opportunities for companies. Shortly after this, the government introduced a risk-reducing alternative, with the reformed Petroleum Activities Law allowing the country to award risk service contracts when the public bid process is unlikely to succeed. As such, Adeoye underscored the importance of equitable contract structuring as vital for long-term success. He also indicated that aligning the objectives of stakeholders is poised to mitigate risks and ensure best negotiation practices, while maintaining clarity and enforceability of contracts. 

The AOG 2024 pre-conference served as a prelude to the main event, taking place on October 2-3. Featuring a series of workshops and presentations, the pre-conference program offers strategic insight into various segments of the oil and gas value chain in Angola. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.