The AfDB approved loans for four private infrastructure projects in Senegal between July 2009-December 2010:
- Expansion of the Dakar container terminal;
- Sendou power plant;
- Dakar-Diamniadio toll highway;
- New Blaise Diagne International Airport.
These four projects represent a total investment of EUR 1.3 billion in the country. The African Development Bank Group provided financing totaling EUR 185 million and acted as Mandated Lead Arranger (MLA) on 3 of these projects, facilitating a further EUR 326 million of senior debt for other financial institutions.
Bank Group Crucial Advisory and Honest Broker Role:
The AfDB identified equity investors and technical partners on some of these projects.
It rendered the projects bankable through its active support and involvement with the authorities, sponsors and other key project stakeholders.
By building solid and long-lasting relationships with the authorities and developing a solid understanding of the country's regulatory and business environments, the Bank leveraged the experience of each transaction, in order to implement transactions more effectively in the future.
This provided the Bank the opportunity to lead the structuring, negotiation and implementation of these projects and, as necessary, to act as an honest broker between various parties, in order to find solutions that are sustainable. As such, the Bank managed to ensure that these Public-Private Partnership transactions were implemented according to industry best practices. Moreover, the Bank played and continues to play an active role in ensuring that the best environmental and social standards are adhered to in all four projects.
