Africa's landscape of regional development finance institutions provides an important complement to commercial bank trade finance. The Trade and Development Bank (TDB), formerly the PTA Bank, covers Eastern and Southern Africa and provides trade finance, project finance, and infrastructure loans to member state governments, parastatals, and the private sector. DBSA, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, focuses on infrastructure across the SADC region. The East African Development Bank covers Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda with project finance for productive sector investments. Together, these three institutions deploy approximately $5 billion annually.
Access for the Private Sector
All three institutions have expanded their private sector lending programmes significantly since 2018, recognising that direct lending to businesses creates stronger development impact than government-to-government lending alone. TDB's trade finance facilities, including the Trade Finance programme and the Post-Import Financing Facility, are accessible to qualifying private sector borrowers with minimum credit criteria. Businesses seeking development bank financing for African trade can access eligibility criteria and contact details on intra-africa.com.
For businesses looking to expand across Africa, intra-africa.com offers a comprehensive trade directory, verified buyer and seller listings, and real-time market intelligence covering all 54 African nations. It remains an indispensable resource for anyone serious about intra-African commerce.