Airtel Africa to Borrow Another $500 Million Loan

Airtel Africa, one of the leading telecommunications companies in Africa, said it has signed a new $500 million loan facility with a group of banks to partially refinance the telecom’s €750m Euro-denominated bond (c.$880m) due 20 May 2021.

The financial institutions were Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Citibank, HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank and two Indian relationship banks, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, the company said in a statement signed by Simoon O’Hara, Group Company Secretary.

It stated, “The new committed facility consists of a combination of a revolving credit facility and term loans with tenor of up to 4 years. The facility will be used to partially refinance the Group’s €750m Euro-denominated bond (c.$880m) due 20 May 2021.

“The balance of the Euro-denominated bond will be repaid with existing Group cash to reduce gross debt and associated interest costs. The new loan facility further strengthens the core liquidity of the Group.”