New Development Bank and Development Bank of Southern Africa Sign USD 100m Loan Agreement for SA’s Sustainable Infrastructure Projects

13 October 2023 - The New Development Bank (NDB) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) are pleased to announce the signing of a USD100m loan agreement aimed at advancing sustainable infrastructure development in South Africa.

This is continuation of NDB’s strategic cooperation with DBSA, a leading development finance institution operating across Sub Sahara Africa and headquarted in South Africa. This is a second NDB loan agreement to DBSA, following the successful implementation of the first loan of (USD 300 m), which was earmarked for renewable energy.

Under the terms of the loan agreement, the NDB will provide the U$D100m loan to the DBSA for a range of sustainable infrastructure development projects in South Africa, aimed at improving the country’s economic resilience, environmental sustainability and overall economic growth.

The key features of the loan agreement include providing financing in South Africa towards:

• Clean and renewable energy
• Social infrastructure (including affordable housing, student accommodation and private health care
• Digital infrastructure

The loan will support socio-economic development in South Africa and may also contribute to climate change mitigation through increasing power generation capacity from renewable energy sources. Through investments in social infrastructure, the loan will contribute to improved quality of health services and affordable and safe accommodation. The loan will also lead to improved digital connectivity through extended broadband networks across the country.

In line with the NDB’s General Strategy for 2022–2026, NDB is facilitating the participation of the private sector in addressing infrastructure backlogs and scaling up investments in infrastructure whilst also broadening its development impact and covering new sectors of the South African economy, such as social and digital infrastructure.

“Signing of this loan agreement and recommitting to the DBSA is a testament of the strategic partnership between NDB and DBSA. Our collaboration highlights a shared vision of promoting sustainable infrastructure development initiatives and driving economic growth in South Africa, in line with its national development plans and priorities,” says Mr. Vladimir Kazbekov, NDB VP & COO. “Multi-stakeholder cooperation is indispensable to close the immense infrastructure financing gap in BRICS and other EMDCs. Given this, NDB strengthens cooperation with peer multilateral development banks, national financial intermediaries, and development finance institutions, such as DBSA.”

“As the DBSA, we are committed to working with local and international partners to help us realise our mission in continuously building Africa’s prosperity. This partnership aligns with both institutions' commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and represents a positive step toward achieving a more sustainable and prosperous future for South Africa and its people. It is through these multi stakeholder engagements such as BRICS, that we can accelerate economic growth across our respective countries,” adds Ms. Boitumelo Mosako, DBSA Chief Executive Officer.

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