Strategic partnerships have been at the heart of ATI’s rapid membership expansion over the past few years. Financial institutions such as KfW and the European Investment Bank (EIB) continue to play a critical role by providing prospective member states with concessional loans and grants to cover their shareholding in ATI.
In 2019, the German Development Bank, KfW, and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (MBZ) of Germany announced the first financing agreement under the Reform and Investment partnership with Ghana. Under the agreement, Ghana received EUR 16 million to finalise its membership in ATI.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), also announced a concessional financing facility in 2019, which was unveiled at the Africa Investment Forum. Under the facility, EIB committed to finance the shareholding in ATI of Cameroon, Niger and Togo with a funding package of US$ 37.5 million to support the shareholding capital of Cameroon, Niger and Togo.
This marks the first time the EIB has backed ATI’s membership expansion, which is expected to unlock additional investment insurance in the region. Capital investment and membership requirements for these three countries have been finalised, with Cameroon expected to reach completion in the coming weeks.
Plans are already underway for new disbursements through these and other strategic partnerships that include the African Development Bank, among others, that are expected to see Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Mali, Senegal and a handful of other countries become members in the next year.
