(Trade Finance Global, London, 15 February 2024) The African economy has suffered three major shocks in quick succession, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic, spillovers from geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions. This, coupled with widening fiscal deficits, exchange rate volatility and natural disasters have eroded the fiscal space of African economies and increased debt levels. The rising debt in Africa and the high risk of sovereign default hampers the activities of export credit agencies (ECAs) on the continent. However, this challenge has also presented opportunities for flexibility, for example, cover for down payments, higher percentages of cover for both political and commercial risks, as well as longer tenors. The continent facing debt issues, continues to be a major playing field for Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC SA), with Ghana accounting for 51.4% of total exposure, followed by Zimbabwe and Ethiopia at 23.0% and 7.7%, respectively. From an industry viewpoint, the ECIC portfolio has shifted away from its traditional mining focus. Currently, power generation leads as the top sector, accounting for 45.8% of total exposure, with construction following closely at 40%.
South Africa
FSD Africa Investments Pledges $19.5 Million to Fortify Africa’s Climate Resilience
(Techinafrica, South Africa, 8? September 2023) [A somewhat confused article apparently about an investment in un-named Latin American ride sharing services by an African investment fund backed by un-named ECAs.] “To enhance mobility and environmental sustainability in Latin America, FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi) [a UK International Development funded regional programme operating in more than 30 countries from its Kenya base] has forged a significant alliance with the [South African] ride-hailing service [app] InDrive.” [An Uber cum taxi competitor now operating in 6 other African countries]. FSDAi’s investments in Acre Impact Capital’s Export Finance Fund I, the Catalyst Fund, and Camco’s Spark Energy Services underscore the institution’s commitment to collaborating with local investment managers and venture capitalists. The goal is to champion environmentally-conscious enterprises that might otherwise face challenges securing the necessary capital. [Support for privately owned automobile services is environmentally conscious?]
The BRICS come of age [But what role for ECAs?]
(Project Syndicate, Cairo, 18 August 2023) by Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist and Director of Research at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). Given the BRICS’ economic success, more than 40 countries have shown an interest in joining the group and 22 have formally applied for membership. Expansion, trade and investment facilitation will be high on the agenda of the group’s summit scheduled for August 22-24 in Johannesburg. They include many issues on which the bloc’s views diverge from those of the G7, such as sustainable development, global governance reform (especially reform of the IMF), and de-dollarization. An enlarged grouping could deepen trade and settlement in local currencies, accelerate de-dollarization, and lead the transition to a more multipolar world. The economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the group – called the BRICS since the addition of South Africa – contributes more to global GDP (in purchasing-power-parity terms) than the G7. Since 2014, Russia’s trade with G7 countries has fallen by more than 36%, owing to unprecedented Western sanctions, while its trade with the other BRICS has increased by more than 121%. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that China and India alone will generate about half of global growth this year. With geopolitical tensions running high, and the weaponization of the dollar for national-security purposes continuing to escalate, the BRICS have taken on new significance, offering trade diversion and other relief to weaken the effectiveness of sanctions and fast-tracking the transition to a multipolar world. Read the Summit Declaration here.
Public Financing as a Critical Path Forward to a Just Energy Transition in Africa
(Creamer Media’s Engineering News, Pretoria?, 13 February 2023) With the world population recently crossing the 8 billion mark and Africa expected to contribute more than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050, now more than ever, access to reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy is critical for the continent. Given the historical strain between developed economies (which modernized with fossil fuels) and developing economies (now being asked to forgo this route) [while developed country ECAs urge them to expand fossil fuel production!], it is evident that sustainable, long-term global cooperation and energy security will be required to address the need for Africans to have access to sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy… Electricity generation in South Africa and Nigeria accounts for more than 80% of GHG emissions on the continent. In South Africa, coal-fired generation currently accounts for more than 70% of installed capacity and is expected to remain the primary power generation source through 2030… South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan aims to install 3GW and 9.6GW of solar and wind capacity respectively between 2023 and 2028 as well as 3GW of gas by 2030. In contrast, Nigeria, on the hand has about 13 GW of installed generation capacity, largely dependent on hydropower (12.5%) and thermal power (87.5%). Of this, only 3.5 GW to 5 GW are typically available for onward transmission to the final consumer. Self-generation installed capacity via diesel generator units is estimated to be about 25 GW… Public capital plays an essential role in accelerating energy infrastructure projects in both developed and developing markets. Developing markets especially need continued government-supported financing for renewables and gas power generation to enable an equitable energy transition… To meet global decarbonization goals while continuing to drive electrification and raise the standard of living in developing markets, ECAs and DFIs should strive to become even more engaged to support a broad range of decarbonization technologies. [We ask, what balance is necessary, support of new natural gas power generation projects to replace existing or planned coal assets, or African renewable sources which do not put the onus on Africans to save the planet while sustaining northern consumption excess?]
South African exporters assured Export Credit Insurance Corporation now has expanded cover
(Mail & Guardian, Johannesburg, 1 December 2022) African countries’ borders are becoming more porous, allowing for greater movement of goods and services via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, but by its nature this comes with a lot of risk. This is where export insurance comes in: to protect an exporter against a foreign buyer’s failure to pay for goods or services for political or commercial reasons. South African companies can count themselves lucky to have export insurance available to them through the Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC), which is an official export credit agency, wholly owned by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. The AfCFTA is the perfect platform for cross-border trade and a number of opportunities exist. Substantial reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers that will result from the implementation of AfCFTA will indeed increase intra-Africa trade and promote regional economic development. It is unacceptable that Africa, the second largest continental landmass after Asia, with all the resources, accounts for just 4.4% of world trade.
ECIC Growing Its Footprint In Ethiopia and the DRC
(Forbes Africa, Johannesburg, 4 March 2022) The Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC) provides political and commercial risk insurance cover to South African exporters of goods and services and to cross border investors. Its strategic focus is on emerging markets in Africa and outside the continent that are considered too risky for conventional insurers. Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are amongst the largest economies in Africa and are therefore key markets for South African exporters and the ECIC. The ongoing civil war, which started in November 2019, created a highly uncertain environment in Ethiopia. The recent release of opposition political party officials from prison by the central government is a significant step towards a resolution of the civil war. Investments into Ethiopia for which ECIC was involved include a US$12,5 million in a cement plant by South Africa’s Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) and a USD121,5m by Vodacom South Africa in 2021. ECIC provided political risk insurance cover for both investments. The DRC is endowed with exceptional mineral resources including cobalt and copper, significant arable land, and huge hydropower potential. This continues to attract significant investment into the country making it the third largest recipient of foreign direct investment in Sub Saharan Africa. The ECIC supported projects in various sectors of DRC including mining, transport, food, and construction sectors. South Africa can supply capital, skills, machinery, and consumer goods to help the country reach its development potential.
Ghanaian rail project takes off with Swedish & South African ECA backing
(TFX News, London, 7 JUly 2021) Most recently Ghana’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) signed a landmark €600 million ($712 million) ECA-covered financing deal for the construction of a 100 km section of the country’s Western Railway Line running from Takoradi Port to Huni Valley. Deutsche Bank acted as mandated lead arranger for both loans. The first, backed by EKN and fully arranged by Deutsche Bank, is a €523 million loan covering the bulk of the cost. The second is a €75 million commercial loan arranged and structured by Investec to cover the downpayment on the EKN-backed financing. It is backed by South Africa’s ECIC and funded by a syndicate of Investec Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, Nedbank (London branch) and Sanlam life Insurance. The Western Railway line is key to the haulage of agricultural produce and minerals from the middle belt to Takoradi Port in the south of Ghana. [The corridor is home to key bauxite mines, which are the bedrock of the country’s integrated bauxite aluminium masterplan.] The involvement of EKN and SEK reflects the significant number of Swedish sub-suppliers participating in the project. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project is Amandi Investment with Bluebird Finance & Projects acting as lead financial advisor for the EPC. Given South Africa’s expertise and established trade flows in rail projects, Investec and Bluebird Finance & Projects – alongside Amandi, discovered that a multitude of South African rail suppliers could be sourced for this project and in turn reached out to ECIC to support the commercial facility, a first for the South African ECA.
Our public finance institutions are fuelling climate change
(Times Live, Johannesburg, 22 March 2021) In Southern Africa, environmental racism has put poor, black, indigenous, and people of colour communities in the path of polluters and the climate crisis. This past Wednesday, civil society organisations hosted a virtual event to brief parliamentarians about the link between climate change and our public finance institutions (PFIs), specifically the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC). One of the largest recipients of SA public financing is the Mozambique Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Project, led by Total, in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The ECIC and DBSA are providing a total of $920m (R13.5bn) plus an undisclosed amount from the IDC. This financing is fuelling an industry that has displaced over 550 families from their homes, fishing areas and farmland, and left them without livelihoods and reliant on food aid. There is no evidence that the $50bn (R736bn) gas industry currently being developed will benefit Mozambicans: though the country has been a large fossil energy producer for years, only 30% of the population has electricity access. Regional violence is deeply interlinked with the gas industry, with human rights violations committed by insurgents, the Mozambican military and SA mercenaries. PFIs’ attitude is seemingly ‘business as usual’. Worse, the ECIC refused to make their EIA available, and ignored a request for public participation in their decision to finance this devastating project.
250 organizations caution banks and ECAs against financing East African Crude Oil Pipeline
(Construction and Civil Engineering News, Nairobi, 2 March 2021) More than 260 organisations have urged banks not to finance the $3.5 billion project, saying the project could lead to the loss of community land and livelihoods, environmental destruction and surging carbon emissions. Nearly a third of the pipeline will run through the basin of Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria – which more than 40 million people depend on for water and food production. It will also cross more than 200 rivers, run through thousands of farms and cut through vital wildlife reserves. The pipeline is expected to cost around $3.5 billion. Of this, about $2.5 billion will be borrowed from banks and other financiers. It is not yet clear which banks intend to participate, although the three banks acting as financial advisors are likely to join and act as lead arrangers. The pipeline – proposed by French oil company Total and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation – will fuel climate change by transporting oil that will generate over 34 million tons of carbon emissions each year. The letter to the three banks acting as financial advisors for the project – Standard Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China – and 22 banks that have recently provided finance to Total and CNOOC, comes as speculation mounts that a Final Investment Decision (FID), which would commit Total to mobilize capital for the project, is imminent. UKEF has apparently ruled out public subsidy for the pipeline Signatories to the open letter included Friends of the Earth International, 350.org, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club, Global Witness, the IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands, BankTrack, Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) and Inclusive Development International (IDI).
JBIC to lend Nissan $2B for U.S. sales financing
(Automotive News Europe, Detroit, 26 November 2020) Japan’s state-owned export credit agency has agreed to give Nissan up to $2 billion as part of a credit agreement to help it finance car sales in the U.S. The money should help Nissan to sell cars in the world’s second-biggest auto market after China by allowing it to provide customers with loans that they can repay in monthly installments. JBIC has provided loans for overseas sales financing to other automakers, including a $78 million October agreement with Honda in Brazil, and one in September for Toyota in South Africa. The latest agreement with Nissan is more than three times as much as a $582 million loan extended by JBIC in July to help Nissan finance car sales in Mexico.
