Agence Française de Développement

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Access to essential services

Water : Partial financing of a project to modernize Soweto’s drinking water supply

The Gcin’amanzi (“water conservation” in Zulu) operation includes a series of measures aiming to improve the water service for 162 000 households in Soweto Township. Interventions involve rehabilitating primary and secondary networks, repairing pipes and systems inside homes as well as installing prepayment meters. These actions are combined with a sizeable component to train consumers on the need to save water and their rights and duties. AFD financed the first phase of the project in 2006 through a 40 million euro concessional loan to Johannesburg Municipality and now plans to support the second stage.

Training : Education loans to Previously Disadvantaged People with Edu-Loan

Edu-Loan is a private company focused exclusively on post secondary education loans. It is a for-profit company offering simple repayment options at affordable rates to PHD applicants interested in advancing their skills. Since its inception in 1996, Edu-Loan has financed close to 400,000 students with loans totalling more than US$ 140 million.

AFD backed Edu-Loan to give a guarantee to the retail bankers in case Edu-Loan would default. AFD's funding facility in Edu-Loan equaled approximately 31% of the company's total funding facility, which made it a primary guarantor to a maximum credit of ZAR 75 million.

Housing : Promoting the construction of houses for middle income South African families with NHFC

Housing : Facilitating household access to decent housing with ABSA

Health : Supporting the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and it's research

Infrastructure

Extension of the Port of Cape Town - Transnet limited

Modernising O.R. Tambo International Airport with ACSA

Energy and Climate

Suppoting the Central Energy Fund in its actions against global warming

Supporting research on carbon capture and storage

Project to collect methane produced by eThekwini’s solid waste landfills

The eThekwini municipality (includes Durban and the other surrounding municipalities) has put together a project managed by Durban Solid Waste (DSW), the municipal body which is responsible for managing landfills for the municipality.

The project consists of collecting methane produced by the fermentation of waste in three landfills of household refuse in order to transform it into electricity. The new project will improve the collection of methane and at the same time increase the proportion of gas collected.

AFD specifically provided a long-term loan for an equivalent value in Rands of 6 million Euros to reinforce the feasibility of the project.

Environment, Tourism, Rural development and biodiversity

Addo Elephant National Park project

The global finality is to eradicate threats and the root loss of biodiversity and land degradation in the Eastern Cape province by protecting six out of nine of South Africa’s biomes. The area covers 3 biodiversity hot spots and 90 % of the territory is included in the critically threatened Albany thickets ecoregion .The park harbours several globally threatened species, including the critically endangered black rhino.

The specific objective is to support the creation and the management of the third largest national park in South Africa (236,000 ha of land an 120,000 ha of marine area) around the existing Addo Elephant National Park by supporting innovative models involving landowners, local communities and the private sector. AFD, through the French Global Environment Fund contributes to the project with a grant 0.94 million euros.

Support to SMEs

Support to Standard Bank of South Africa to loan to black Small and Medium Entreprises

The Standard Bank of South Africa (SBSA) is one of the four biggest groups in South Africa and makes up 25% of the SME market. SBSA, within the framework of the Financial Charter, has set up a black SME investment unit. The program aims to increase the participation of HDPs (Historically Disadvantaged People) in economic growth. In 2005, AFD decided to refinance loans to these SMEs through a 20 million euro 8-year concessional credit line associated with an ARIZ framework guarantee agreement. Part of the financing covers additional structure costs and SME support services.

PROPARCO

Endowing South Africa’s populations with banking services with CAPITEC

Proparco's intervention in financing Capitec, a retail specialist in the provision of micro-credit and banking services to low-income populations, is part of the mission aiming to improve access to financial services and products of historically disadvantaged populations. Micro-credit is a tool for financial inclusion of people without access to traditional banking systems due to their low income and their risk profile. With its wide range of financial products and services, Capitec meets the needs of these populations, i.e. savings, access to credit and so on. Thus, Proparco helps to improve the quality of services in terms of diversity, durability and cost, along with a credible and financially strong organization.

Assisting the growth of a private bank in Zambia - ZANACO

In January 2008, the FMO and Proparco financed ZANACO, Zambia's first retail bank in terms of deposits, with a long-term credit line of USD 25 million, to assist its future growth and particularly to back its long-term loans. The restructuring of the bank will enable more Zambians to access banking services

Supporting South African exports with IDC

Proparco and IDC signed on May 28th of this year, in Johannesburg, an agreement to contribute to the funding of exporting companies in South Africa. In fact, the Industrial Development Corporation is playing a leading role in the development of the South African economy through strategic initiatives and active involvement in strategic sectors such as steel, mining and agriculture.

Through this project, Proparco met with IDC's main mission: to support industry initiatives and local businesses and thus to contribute to the emergence of a stable economy in South Africa.

Contributing to the development of capital markets in Africa with Global Credit Rating