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Deal name: Beitbridge border post
Borrower: Zimborders
Mandated lead arrangers: Absa, Nedbank, RMB, Standard Bank
Lenders: Absa, Afreximbank, Emerging Africa infrastructure Fund, Nedbank, RMB, Standard Bank
Insurers/ECAs: Afreximbank, ECIC
Tenor: 11 years (senior debt), 12 years (mezzanine debt)
Date signed: November 2020
Beitbridge border post, a crossing that connects Zimbabwe and South Africa, is known for its ageing infrastructure that acts as a chokepoint for the movement of goods and people.
Delays at the post are common; truckers carrying goods can wait as long as five days to cross the border, states RMB in its deal submission.
Upgrading the crossing is paramount to ensuring a more efficient trading system in Southern Africa because the border post is “not only the gateway to Zimbabwe but also to Zambia, Malawi and the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo]”, says the bank.