The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have signed a Joint Project Preparation Facility (JPPF) Framework Agreement that will provide up to US$20 million to prepare high-impact infrastructure and industrial projects in South Africa and the wider Southern African region.
Under the agreement, each institution can contribute up to US$10 million to support the technical, financial and legal work required to move projects from the concept stage towards investment readiness. The facility is designed to address project preparation and bankability challenges that can prevent infrastructure projects from attracting financing.
Priority areas include power and energy, with a particular focus on energy transition, as well as transport and logistics, information and communication technology, and strategic minerals beneficiation. The initial focus will be South Africa and the wider Southern African region, with the possibility of extending the framework to other African jurisdictions of mutual interest.
The two institutions will jointly identify, assess and prioritise projects, while supporting the technical, financial and legal studies needed to make them suitable for potential investment. Projects prepared through the facility may subsequently seek funding from Afreximbank, DBSA, private investors, development finance institutions and commercial lenders, subject to separate appraisal and approval.
The agreement follows South Africa’s accession to the Afreximbank Establishment Agreement in February 2026, making it the bank’s 54th member state. It also builds on the Master Risk Participation Agreement signed by Afreximbank and DBSA in February and supports the objectives of South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030, SADC regional integration and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Afreximbank Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Mrs Kanayo Awani, said the facility would help address the shortage of projects prepared to the standards required by investors and lenders. DBSA Chief Investment Officer Gregory Fyfe said the partnership would strengthen the pipeline of bankable infrastructure and industrial projects and help unlock investment opportunities across the region.
