Two African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org)-supported projects have garnered top honours at the 2025 Bonds, Loans & ESG Capital Markets Africa Awards (https://apo-opa.co/4lvavcK) conference. A $500 million sustainable term loan facility in Senegal (https://apo-opa.co/4i1gUt8) was named Sovereign Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year, while Rwanda’s €200 million ESG loan (https://apo-opa.co/3RxvfTd) was awarded ESG Loan Deal of the Year. Both projects were supported by partial credit guarantees from the African Development Bank Group.

The awards celebrate Africa’s most innovative and transformative financial deals, highlighting exemplary execution, effective mobilization of new liquidity pools, and innovative deal structuring.

Members of the African Development Bank team and other participants who worked on Senegal's award-winning $500 million sustainable term loan in Cape Town, South Africa

Members of the AfDB team that participated in Rwanda's €200 M award-winning ESG loan in Cape Town

In its debut on the international sustainable finance market, announced in March 2024, Senegal raised $500 million in long-term financing – part of it in the CFA franc. The African Development Bank served as a financial advisor in addition to providing a partial credit guarantee. The pioneering transaction, which leveraged the Bank Group's credit guarantee to secure favorable borrowing terms and attract diverse investor segments, was seen as underscoring Senegal's commitment to financing critical sustainable development projects in climate resilience, renewable energy, and social infrastructure.

In April 2024, Rwanda secured a partial credit guarantee from the African Development Fund, the Bank’s concessional window, paving the way for long-term funding from international commercial banks. The financing is supporting Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation, which focuses on green urbanization, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and health and education infrastructure. With the African Development Bank serving as the initial mandated lead arranger, this transaction diversifies Rwanda’s financing sources and underlines the growing attractiveness of African sustainable investment opportunities in global markets, while enhancing citizens’ quality of life.

Ahmed Attout, the Bank Group’s Director for Financial Sector Development, said: “These awards underscore the Bank's steadfast commitment to fostering competitive and sustainable financing solutions. By tailoring partial credit guarantees to the specific needs of member countries, Senegal and Rwanda now have access to competitive international capital, enabling them to mobilize long term funding from international commercial banks for green and social initiatives for the first time.”

Max Magor N’diaye, Bank Group Senior Director for Syndication, Co-financing client solutions and the Africa Investment Forum stated: “The awards shine a spotlight on these innovative transactions, marking a game-changing benchmark for leveraging sustainable financing to drive transformative and social progress. They not only benefit communities but also pave the way for a resilient and prosperous future.” 

Bonds, Loans & ESG Capital Markets Africa, held annually at the Cape Town International Convention Center, is an important event for Africa’s capital markets, bringing together the public and private sectors, government officials, financial institutions, investors, and industry experts for dialogue.