Africa Finance Corporation Marks First London Stock Exchange Listing with Market Close Ceremony

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) recently achieved a significant milestone by marking its first-ever listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with a ceremonial market close. This event, which celebrated AFC’s key role in mobilizing global capital for Africa’s economic transformation, followed two notable international capital market transactions. These included a $500 million oversubscribed 5-year Eurobond in October 2024 and a $500 million perpetual hybrid bond issued in January 2025. These successful transactions highlight strong investor confidence in AFC’s ability to drive high-impact investments in critical African infrastructure.

AFC’s listing on the LSE underscores the corporation’s solid credit profile and its growing influence in the global financial sector. As part of the event, AFC, alongside Africa Practice, hosted a roundtable discussion with leading investors, banks, and credit rating agencies. The discussion focused on the topic of “Unpacking the Africa Risk Premium,” addressing how risk perceptions affect capital costs for African borrowers and exploring strategies to correct global market mispricing of African assets.

At the ceremony, AFC’s President & CEO, Samaila Zubairu, emphasized the corporation’s role in reshaping global risk perceptions to unlock more competitive financing for Africa’s infrastructure projects. He reiterated AFC’s commitment to driving Africa’s industrialization and economic integration through pragmatic actions to address risk mispricing and increase access to critical development funding. The market close event culminated in the presentation of a commemorative glass tablet and the signing of the LSE’s Welcome Book.

In addition to its bond issues, AFC has continued to diversify its funding sources, recently securing a US$400 million Shariah-compliant Commodity Murabaha Facility. This move strengthens AFC’s liquidity to finance essential infrastructure projects across the continent. Furthermore, the corporation’s credit ratings were boosted with AAAspc ratings from S&P Global (China) and AAA from China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co, paving the way for potential future issuances in China’s domestic market.

SOURCE: BUSINESS DAY