#Sukuk Issuance in Africa: A Prospect for Further Growth

The burden of financing Africa’s infrastructure projects is shifting away from banks towards the Sukuk market. To date, Africa has witnessed a growing share of sovereign Sukuk issuances. While states such as Sudan and Gambia have issued Sukuk in the past, it was in 2014 that Senegal debuted the region’s largest Sukuk issuance (USD 208 million). Soon South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire followed suit. In June 2016, Senegal launched its second Sukuk issuance, valued at USD 350 million. Togo issued its maiden Sukuk worth USD 277 million with a 10-year maturity and Cote d’Ivoire issued its second sovereign Sukuk valued at USD 263 million in August 2016. Several African countries are in the midst of preparing legislation to facilitate Sukuk issuances and facilitate Islamic finance in their respective financial market.