Africa Finance Corporation, the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, has closed a landmark $524 million equivalent dual-currency Samurai term loan facility.
The transaction marks AFC’s largest Samurai loan to date and reinforces the Corporation’s growing footprint in Japan’s capital markets amid rising investor confidence in its credit fundamentals.
The three-year syndicated facility, comprising $505 million and JPY 3 billion, was significantly oversubscribed following strong demand from Japanese lenders.
AFC’s strong traction in Japan has been supported by a series of milestones, including its 2019 debut samurai loan, its 2023 guarantee of Egypt’s JPY75 billion Samurai Bond, and the award of an A+ (Stable) long-term issuer credit rating by the Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) earlier this year.
AFC’s 2022 Samurai facility, totalling $419 million equivalent ($412 million and JPY 1 billion), matured in October 2025 and was fully repaid by AFC.
AFC maintains a strong presence in Asian capital markets, where it has raised over $1.3 billion in the past decade across Chinese, Indian and Korean loan facilities.
“Japan continues to be an important and strategic market for AFC,” said Banji Fehintola, Executive Board Member and Head of Financial Services at AFC. “The strong support from Japanese lenders in our latest Samurai loan underscores the depth of confidence in AFC and the trust we have built with investors over the past few years. This successful transaction strengthens our funding base and expands our global investor reach as we continue mobilising capital to address the infrastructure deficit in Africa.”
The new facility was arranged by long-standing relationship banks, Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank and SMBC Bank International, which acted as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners.
The transaction drew strong momentum from AFC’s lender roadshow held during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in August.
In a further demonstration of deepening engagement with Japanese and Asian investors, the facility welcomed several first-time lenders to AFC, including Bank of Taiwan, China Construction Bank Corporation, First Commercial Bank, Taiwan Business Bank, Chiba Bank, Shizuoka Bank, and Yamanashi Chuo Bank.
Proceeds from the facility will be used for general corporate purposes, supporting AFC’s mandate to drive sustainable development through infrastructure investment across Africa.
AFC was established in 2007 to serve as a 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 in and delivering instrumental, high-quality infrastructure assets that provide essential services across the core infrastructure sectors of power, natural resources, heavy industry, transport, and telecommunications.
AFC has 47 member countries and has invested over $17 billion in 36 African countries since its inception.
