S.Africa's state-owned PIC partners with UK DFI on African infrastructure

By Colleen Goko

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa's state-owned Public Investment Corporation and UK development financier British International Investment have formed a partnership to boost investment in African infrastructure, the organizations said on Monday.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The partnership will mobilize private capital in Africa at scale to expand climate funding and boost the rise of private credit as a new asset class, said Leslie Maasdorp, CEO of BII, the UK government's development finance institution.

Under the memorandum of understanding, PIC, Africa's biggest fund manager, and BII will create a framework to jointly explore co-investment opportunities across Africa.

Priorities include small and medium enterprise financing, financial inclusion, green economy transitions and infrastructure in countries in Southern, Eastern and Western Africa, PIC said.

Investment opportunities will be considered on a case-by-case basis, a PIC spokesperson said in an email.

Africa faces an annual infrastructure and climate finance gap of more than $100 billion, according to the African Development Bank. Many bilateral donors are pulling back due to domestic fiscal and political pressures.

PIC manages three trillion rand ($166.72 billion) in assets. BII has an Africa portfolio of $5.6 billion.

($1 = 17.9940 rand)

(Reporting by Colleen Goko; Editing by Richard Chang)