- Reflecting Robust Credit Profile
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provide, on Thursday welcomed the assignment of ‘A’ long-term and ‘A-1’ short-term issuer credit ratings, with a Positive Outlook, by S&P Global (S&P) Ratings, following the rating agency’s official announcement.
According to S&P, the ratings reflect AFC’s strong institutional and financial risk profile, underpinned by robust liquidity buffers, disciplined risk management, and the institution’s ability to mobilise private capital for complex, cross-border infrastructure and industrial projects across Africa.
The ‘A’ category assessment represents the highest rating assigned to AFC by a major global ratings agency, reinforcing its position as one of the highest-rated investment-grade African financial institutions, strengthening its standing in global capital markets and supporting continued access to diversified, long-term funding sources.
In its published analysis, S&P emphasised AFC’s expanded scale, broadened mandate and established operating model, underscoring the institution’s leadership in delivering infrastructure and industrial assets that are central to Africa’s long-term growth. The agency pointed in particular to AFC’s capacity to structure and execute complex transactions, and to deploy capital across priority sectors where private financing alone is often insufficient.
S&P also referenced AFC’s growing continental footprint, with the institution having disbursed US$18.5 billion across 36 African countries since inception. Investments span energy, transport and logistics, natural resources, heavy industry, telecommunications and technology, with flagship projects including the Lobito Corridor, linking Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo — a strategically important trade and logistics corridor supporting region al integration and supply-chain resilience. S&P commented, “Given its mandate and emphasis on financing critical infrastructure, AFC plays a strategically important role that is not easily replicated by other development finance institutions (DFIs) or commercial lenders, in our view.”
Further AFC investments include ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, supporting the development of industrial zones that anchor local value addition in sectors such as agro-processing, manufacturing and logistics, and the Kamoa– Kakula copper complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the world’s highest-grade and fastest-growing copper projects. The Corporation has a history of successful asset exits, including partial exits from ARISE and from Ghana’s Takoradi Port, demonstrating AFC’s ability to originate, scale and responsibly reinvest capital. Together, these investments underline AFC’s capacity to combine long-term development impact with disciplined execution and capital stewardship.
The Positive Outlook reflects S&P’s expectation that AFC will continue to broaden its shareholder base — which currently comprises 60 shareholders, including sovereigns, financial institutions, pension funds and multilaterals — strengthen its capital position, and sustain strong liquidity and asset-quality metrics as it delivers on its medium-term strategy.
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