BII and Deutsche Bank Launch $150M Africa Trade Finance

United Kingdom===British International Investment (BII) and Deutsche Bank have launched a $150 million trade finance facility aimed at supporting importers and exporters in African frontier economies. This initiative, structured as a risk-sharing facility, is the first collaboration between BII and Deutsche Bank and seeks to address Africa's estimated $100 billion annual trade finance gap. The program will primarily focus on least developed countries identified by the United Nations, including Zambia, Ethiopia, and Rwanda, enabling local financial institutions to extend more short-term credit for cross-border trade. Anand Jha of Deutsche Bank and Ndaba Mpofu of BII highlighted the facility's role in enhancing risk-sharing capacity, facilitating sustainable transactions, and supporting economic development by ensuring the flow of essential goods and productive inputs.