Latest news with #SamailaZubairu
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
AFC-backed projects add $50bln to Africa's GDP
Projects backed by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent's leading infrastructure solutions provider, have to date added over $50 billion to GDP and supported the creation of 7 million jobs across 36 countries, says a report. The AFC's annual Development Impact Report, presenting a comprehensive, data-driven account of AFC's cumulative development outcomes across Africa, highlights the establishment of the continent's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy platform, Infinity Power, now delivering 1.4GW of clean electricity, and on track to reach 3GW by 2030 – a clear marker of AFC's leadership in Africa's energy transition. 'This report is a record of the tangible, large-scale impact we've always aimed for—driven by disciplined capital, strategic partnerships, and a focus on outcomes that matter,' said Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO of AFC. 'From clean energy to industrial ecosystems and regional rail links, AFC's investments are transforming challenges into opportunities and unlocking Africa's potential at scale.' The report tracks outcomes across 166 projects, drawing from over 250,000 data points validated by a rigorous methodology. AFC's development model, grounded in its Theory of Change, prioritises four pillars: industrialization, energy transition, regional integration, and digital inclusion. Further key cumulative metrics include: * $14 billion in capital mobilised * 4.1 million homes connected to electricity * 8.8 million tons of CO₂ emissions avoided annually The report also details broad social outcomes, including inclusive employment across gender and age, among significant community-level impacts. For example, AFC investments in Gabon's ARISE Industrial Platform resulted in 42% female workforce participation. Women are employed across manufacturing, services and off-grid energy sectors, advancing gender equity in traditionally male-dominated industries. Digital inclusion initiatives like M-KOPA, a pay-as-you-go mobile and solar energy finance platform, empowered 1.7 million first-time mobile internet users, while investments in providers like MTN and Airtel have connected over 100 million people to mobile and broadband services. AFC's model links strategic project development with exit discipline, crowding in private capital once projects are commercially viable. The report highlights notable investment outcomes, including: * Infinity Power/Lekela acquisition – now Africa's largest renewable platform, with large-scale wind and solar operations spanning Egypt, Senegal, and South Africa * The Red Sea Power project – setting Djibouti on course to become the first African nation powered entirely by renewable energy * Lobito Rail Corridor – linking Angola, DRC and Zambia to shorten export timelines from 45 to 7 days, cut 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, and unlock trade routes for minerals critical to the global energy transition, * Takoradi Port exit (Ghana) – a demonstration of transition to private capital, preserving impact and redeploying funds * Kamoa-Kakula – the world's lowest-emission copper mine, contributing 6% to DRC's GDP As global demand grows for sustainable, high‑yield investments, AFC's blended finance model offers a replicable approach to accelerating Africa's infrastructure development. The report concludes with a call to partners – governments, investors, and development institutions – to collaborate in scaling proven models that drive structural transformation, climate resilience, and inclusive growth. Copyright 2025 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Africa Finance Corporation Reports US$50 Billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Impact and 7 Million Jobs Created Through Scalable Infrastructure Model
166 projects across 36 countries delivering real-world impact at scale Climate-smart infrastructure avoiding annual 8.8 million tons of CO₂ emissions Africa's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy platform delivers 1.4 GW of clean electricity, and on track to reach 3 GW by 2030 Africa Finance Corporation ( the continent's leading infrastructure solutions provider, has published its annual Development Impact Report, presenting a comprehensive, data-driven account of AFC's cumulative development outcomes across Africa. The report reveals that AFC-backed projects have to date added over US$50 billion to GDP and supported the creation of 7 million jobs across 36 countries. The report also highlights the establishment of the continent's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy platform, Infinity Power, now delivering 1.4GW of clean electricity, and on track to reach 3GW by 2030 – a clear marker of AFC's leadership in Africa's energy transition. 'This report is a record of the tangible, large-scale impact we've always aimed for—driven by disciplined capital, strategic partnerships, and a focus on outcomes that matter,' said Samaila Zubairu, President&CEO of AFC. 'From clean energy to industrial ecosystems and regional rail links, AFC's investments are transforming challenges into opportunities and unlocking Africa's potential at scale.' The report tracks outcomes across 166 projects, drawing from over 250,000 data points validated by a rigorous methodology. AFC's development model, grounded in its Theory of Change, prioritises four pillars: industrialization, energy transition, regional integration, and digital inclusion. Further key cumulative metrics include: US$14 billion in capital mobilised 4.1 million homes connected to electricity 8.8 million tons of CO₂ emissions avoided annually The report also details broad social outcomes, including inclusive employment across gender and age, among significant community-level impacts. For example, AFC investments in Gabon's ARISE Industrial Platform resulted in 42% female workforce participation. Women are employed across manufacturing, services and off-grid energy sectors, advancing gender equity in traditionally male-dominated industries. Digital inclusion initiatives like M-KOPA, a pay-as-you-go mobile and solar energy finance platform, empowered 1.7 million first-time mobile internet users, while investments in providers like MTN and Airtel have connected over 100 million people to mobile and broadband services. AFC's model links strategic project development with exit discipline, crowding in private capital once projects are commercially viable. The report highlights notable investment outcomes, including: Infinity Power/Lekela acquisition – now Africa's largest renewable platform, with large-scale wind and solar operations spanning Egypt, Senegal, and South Africa The Red Sea Power project – setting Djibouti on course to become the first African nation powered entirely by renewable energy Lobito Rail Corridor – linking Angola, DRC and Zambia to shorten export timelines from 45 to 7 days, cut 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, and unlock trade routes for minerals critical to the global energy transition, Takoradi Port exit (Ghana) – a demonstration of transition to private capital, preserving impact and redeploying funds Kamoa-Kakula – the world's lowest-emission copper mine, contributing 6% to DRC's GDP All data is aligned with international benchmarks, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), GIIN IRIS+ and the Joint Impact Model (JIM) As global demand grows for sustainable, high‑yield investments, AFC's blended finance model offers a replicable approach to accelerating Africa's infrastructure development. The report concludes with a call to partners – governments, investors, and development institutions – to collaborate in scaling proven models that drive structural transformation, climate resilience, and inclusive growth. Access the full report here : 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: About AFC: Africa Finance Corporation (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. Eighteen 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 45 member countries and has invested over US$15 billion in 36 African countries since its inception.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
‘Prejudice Premium' Costs Africa $75 Billion a Year, African Finance Corp Says
Mispriced risk and flawed perceptions of default are costing African nations billions of dollars a year in additional borrowing costs and lost revenue, according to Africa Finance Corp. 's president. 'These default rates are really, really exaggerated,' Samaila Zubairu said at an event in Johannesburg on Wednesday. 'The prejudice premium Africa has paid is $75 billion annually. That's a lot of money.'
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Africa's Critical Minerals Key to Clean-Energy Drive, AFC Says
Africa's role in the global pivot toward cleaner sources of energy should focus on increasing the supply of critical minerals needed to make the transition, rather than on reducing its own negligible emissions, according to the president of the Africa Finance Corp. 'Africa doesn't emit enough greenhouse gas' to meaningfully impact on climate change, accounting for less than 4% of the global total, Samaila Zubairu told the Financing Africa Forward Summit in Johannesburg on Wednesday. 'We can't stop emissions that we don't make.'
Zawya
09-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria: Africa Finance Corp to sign $320mln deal with Italy to bolster Lobito funding
Africa Finance Corporation, a Lagos-based continental financier, will sign a deal with Italy for $320m financing partly for a new transport corridor linking critical mineral fields with an Angolan port, its chief executive said on Thursday, 5 June 2025. AFC, which is owned by African central banks and development lenders, is the financing partner for the United States-backed rail and road corridor linking the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic coastline with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the minerals are mined. "The government of Italy has continued to express their support for the project. There will be a signing event of the facility that they are going to advance for the project," Samaila Zubairu noted in an interview after the launch of the financier's annual Africa infrastructure report. There will also be a meeting in Rome focusing on the Lobito corridor project as it is known, in the coming weeks, he added. The Lobito rail corridor is a project to help transport critical minerals from the central African copperbelt to the West and is considered key in countering Chinese control over copper and cobalt supplies in the region. Some of the cash from the Italian government will go towards AFC's regular lending operations, he said, without giving a precise split. AFC, which usually aims to raise $2-3bn every year, has raised more than $1bn this year so far, and it is looking to raise roughly $1bn more via a syndication facility soon, Zubairu said. "We have a huge syndication that we are launching shortly," he said, without providing more information.
