Financing firm Export Finance Australia extends $100 million loan to EAAIF
The Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) has received a significant boost with a $100 million debt facility from Export Finance Australia (EFA), marking a strategic move to expand its role in mobilizing investment for climate-resilient infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia. This funding is part of a broader effort to back sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, green transport, and climate-smart solutions across the Indo-Pacific region.
This expansion aligns with EAAIF's strategic shift to formally include Asian markets in its mandate. The Fund plans to invest over $1 billion in emerging African and Asian economies over the next four years, leveraging its extensive track record of mobilizing more than $16 billion in private sector investments since its foundation in 2001.
Southeast Asia, home to more than 25% of the world's population, notably accounts for just about 2% of global clean energy spending despite growing demand. EAAIF’s new facility enables it to increase investment in areas critical to the green transition, such as solar energy for commercial and industrial clients, sustainable transport, digital communications infrastructure, and clean energy projects that support energy access and decarbonization efforts in emerging markets.
EAAIF is strategically positioned as an impact-focused investor providing long-term debt financing with commercially competitive returns and sustainable development impact. This includes landmark investments like rooftop solar in Vietnam’s manufacturing sector and biomass power plants in Africa, underscoring the fund’s commitment to decarbonization and economic growth through green infrastructure.
The EAAIF has attracted commitments from investors including Allianz Global Investors, Standard Bank, and Sweden’s development finance institution, Swedfund. Olivia Carballo, managing director of Ninety One, and Martijn Proos, co-head of its emerging market alternative credit strategy, have commented on the EAAIF's efforts.
With the new debt finance package, the EAAIF will use the money to back infrastructure and renewable energy projects in South and Southeast Asia, helping to bridge the climate finance gap and support the region’s green transition through targeted infrastructure investments that combine sustainability, resilience, and economic impact.
- The Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) has now formally expanded its mandate to include Asian markets, aiming to invest more than $1 billion in emerging economies over the next four years, using blended finance and private equity to mobilize additional finance and business investments.
- As part of their strategy for the energy transition, EAAIF plans to increase investment in vital sectors such as solar energy for commercial clients, sustainable transportation, digital communications infrastructure, and clean energy projects in Need of decarbonization efforts, across South and Southeast Asian regions.
- Given the growing investment needs to support the green transition in Southeast Asia, where clean energy spending accounts for just 2% despite higher demand, impact-focused investors like EAAIF play a significant role in the landscape of environmental science and climate-change.
- The EAAIF, known for its long-term debt financing with commercially competitive returns and a focus on sustainable development, has made landmark investments in green infrastructure, such as rooftop solar in Vietnam’s manufacturing sector, and biomass power plants in Africa, supporting both decarbonization and economic growth.
- Committed to the EAAIF's efforts, investors including Allianz Global Investors, Standard Bank, and Sweden’s development finance institution, Swedfund, recognize the fund's potential in backing renewable energy and infrastructure projects in South and Southeast Asia, contributing to the region's environmental sustainability, development, and real-estate growth.
