The African trade finance institution deepens its partnership with Tunis, bringing total disbursements to $1.7 billion as the continent faces a financing squeeze from international lenders.
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has inked a $500 million term loan facility with the Central Bank of Tunisia, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, in a move designed to shore up the country’s critical development agenda amid mounting external pressures.
The fresh infusion of capital adds to the $1.2 billion already deployed by the pan-African lender to the Central Bank of Tunisia, significantly deepening the financial ties between the two institutions at a time when global development finance is pivoting away from the continent.
George Elombi, President and Chairman of Afreximbank, framed the agreement as a defiant statement of African self-reliance. “This facility reaffirms Afreximbank’s strong commitment to supporting Tunisia and the continent’s sustainable socio-economic development,” Elombi stated. “We thank the Government of Tunisia, through the Central Bank of Tunisia, and the Ministry of Finance for the growing collaboration, especially at a most critical time when international development finance institutions continue to deprioritise Africa. For us, the message is unequivocal: African institutions must lead Africa’s development.”
The financing is expected to serve as a critical buffer for the Tunisian government, enabling it to meet maturing trade debt obligations while preserving its capacity to finance essential imports. The funds are specifically earmarked for vital commodities, including fuel, fertilizers, and food products, a strategic move aimed at safeguarding economic stability and sustaining domestic demand amid a volatile global market.
Central Bank Governor Fethi Zouhaier Nouri welcomed the extended partnership, underscoring the acute need for foreign currency liquidity. “We welcome the continued partnership with Afreximbank, which provides important support to Tunisia at a time when access to trade finance and foreign currency liquidity remains critical to sustaining essential imports,” Nouri remarked. “This facility demonstrates the value of African financial institutions working together to address shared economic priorities and support national resilience.”
Beyond addressing immediate fiscal pressures, the loan facility is designed to improve access to foreign-currency liquidity, bolstering Tunisia’s external financing position and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of strategic imports.
The transaction underscores Afreximbank’s growing role as a countercyclical financier across the continent, stepping into the breach to provide support to member states during periods of economic strain. The bank’s intervention advances broader objectives of economic resilience, structural transformation, and sustainable growth, reinforcing its mandate to chart an independent course for Africa’s financial future.
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