Under this facility, the African Development Bank will provide a guarantee of up to 100% to confirming banks against non-payment risks arising from letters of credit and similar trade finance instruments issued by the Bank of Africa Tanzania. The facility will support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and local corporates engaged in the import sector. The facility aligns with efforts to bolster intra-Africa trade, contributing directly to the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) (https://AU-AfCFTA.org/).

Speaking at the signing event on March 10, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, the Bank’s Country Manager for Tanzania, Patricia Laverley, stressed the importance of the facility in addressing Tanzania’s trade finance needs, saying that given the country’s import requirements, it will aid priority sectors such as trade, agriculture, manufacturing, and energy. “This facility will support trade by enabling BOAT to play a more strategic role in the regional and international market.”

Representing BOAT’s management, Deputy Managing Director Hamza Cherkaoui lauded the strong partnership with the African Development Bank, emphasizing its role in expanding trade finance capabilities across the continent. “This partnership strengthens our ability to support businesses across various sectors by providing seamless trade finance solutions, expanding our confirmation network, and enabling access to top-tier confirming banks,” he said.

The new Trade Guarantee facility aligns with Bank of Africa Tanzania’s strategic priorities and the African Development Bank’s broader objectives, including promoting regional integration, increasing food security, and industrializing Africa. It also supports Tanzania’s Country Strategy paper 2021-2025, which focuses on enhancing the private sector business environment for job creation. It also aligns with the country’s development vision (Vision 2025), which aims to build a strong and resilient economy capable of competing globally.

The signing of the agreement marks a significant milestone in the African Development Bank Group’s direct engagement with Tanzania’s private sector, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening the country’s financial sector and economic development.

The award celebrates PAC Capital’s consistent track record in structuring and executing high-impact transactions across various sectors, including infrastructure, energy, transport, and financial services. This international recognition highlights the firm’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and delivering value-driven advisory services.

Humphrey Oriakhi, Managing Director of PAC Capital, expressed his pride and appreciation for the recognition:

“This award is a strong validation of our efforts to lead with insight, integrity, and innovation in the transaction advisory space. We are truly honored to be acknowledged on a global platform. I dedicate this achievement to our clients who trust us with their most strategic decisions and to our team whose dedication fuels our success.”

Bolarinwa Sanni, Executive Director of PAC Capital, emphasized the importance of collaboration and resilience in the firm’s journey:

“Winning this award reflects the strength of our advisory team and the boldness of the clients we serve. At PAC Capital, we are committed to delivering transformative financial solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. This recognition inspires us to keep pushing boundaries and shaping Africa’s investment landscape.”

As part of the PanAfrican Capital Holdings Group, PAC Capital continues to expand its footprint across Africa and globally, with a focus on impact-driven transactions that promote sustainable economic growth.

Speaking during an event organized by the African Refiners & Distributors Association (ARDA) in Cape Town this week, Ayuk proposed tapping into the $400 billion available through Africa’s pension funds to support oil and gas projects. With this capital, Africa can advance key infrastructure projects, such as pipelines, refining facilities and power generation, ensuring enhanced intra-Africa energy trade to address energy poverty. With over 600 million Africans living without access to modern energy and 900 million people living without access to clean cooking solutions, securing greater investment is key.

As such, Ayuk called for greater regulatory reform in Africa, citing the need to advance intra-African trade through the ease of movement of products and industry stakeholders, while ensuring infrastructure sharing across the continent. He pointed out that the greatest obstacle to realizing an ‘Africa-First Vision’ is not external challenges, but rather internal, owing to outdated and restrictive regulations that hinder trade and the free movement of people across borders.

“How can we move commodities across the continent yet we struggle to move people?” stated Ayuk, advocating for improved visa and immigration policies to facilitate mobility for industry stakeholders and citizens.

Ayuk also called for African policymakers to address high intra-African taxes that hinder trade, while encouraging greater collaboration between African energy markets. By addressing key challenges to trade, including lack of shared infrastructure and funding, Ayuk highlighted that the continent can achieve its downstream goals. A strategy for this is collaboration. Rather than competing against one another for limited capital, Africa can pool its resources to create an integrated value chain across the continent.

“We shouldn’t compete for capital amongst ourselves,” he said. “Our competition should be with international markets.”

Besides increasing investment in downstream infrastructure and revamping policies, Ayuk highlighted that achieving the ‘Africa First Vision’ requires fully utilizing every drop of oil and gas available on the continent to power Africa’s development. He emphasized the crucial role LPG and LNG will play in advancing access to clean cooking as well as the role of natural gas in providing baseload power for the foreseeable future.

In closing, Ayuk applauded ARDA for promoting investment in African oil and gas, despite challenges posed by the energy transition. Centered around the theme Africa First: Delivering Our Energy Future, the event sought to chart a course for energy security and industrial development through increased investments across the downstream sector across the continent.