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The Nigerian Debt Management Office has reminded the general public that the offer for subscription to the N150 billion FGN Ijara Sukuk Bond will close on Tuesday June 2nd, 2020. Proceeds from the Ijara Sukuk Bond auction will be used solely for the construction and rehabilitation of key roads across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) has approved a Murabaha Financing of EUR 8 million for the Senegalese bank Banque Islamique du Sénégal (BIS). The Murabaha facility is expected to support around 1,000 jobs within the private sector, including companies in food and distribution. The swift disbursement of this financing by ITFC has enabled local private companies to procure urgent food staples, and support national response efforts to ensure food security.

Nigerian TAJBank has announced a N150 billion Sukuk Bond of the Federal Government. The FGN Sukuk 2020 is open to investors, which include retail investors, high networth individuals, institutional investors such as commercial banks, insurance/takaful companies, pension fund administrators, asset managers, ethically inclined investors, cooperative societies, religious bodies as well as state investment firms. Considering the state of the economy and as several countries grapple with the economic impact of COVID-19, Sukuk is a tool to help countries and businesses develop sources of long-term, stable financing. Book building commenced on May 21 while funding would be on June 2.

The Republic of South Africa is working on a rand-denominated sukuk for the financial year 2020/2021. Details regarding the size, tenor and structure of the Shariah-compliant notes will be made in due course. The government may also consider issuing a second sovereign U.S. dollar sukuk in the long term. South Africa issued its first-ever international sovereign sukuk in 2014. The deal consisted of a $500 million 5.75-year note, offering a profit rate of 3.90%.

According to Imam Abdul-Wahab Saadudeen, the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) should be reviewed to enhance Nigeria's Islamic banking industry. He believes the regulatory bodies must take into cognizance the principles of Islamic Finance to create an enabling environment for its growth in Nigeria. The Islamic scholar noted that over the years, the Islamic Banking legal framework has not been reviewed to reflect the developments taking place now. He made a strong call for a competent Sharia Advisory Board to ensure that Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions are not exposed to avoidable systemic risks. He also called for more clarity in Islamic Banking because it seeks to boost financial inclusion, achieve sustainable development and economic prosperity for all Nigerians.

Despite its growing acceptability around the world, there are untapped opportunities that can be accessed through Islamic finance in Nigeria. When the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) granted approval to the defunct Habib Bank to operate an Islamic banking service window, the attempt did not register a significant success but it kickstarted Islamic banking in the country. The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued Rules on Islamic Fund Management and Sukuk Issuance. Similarly, the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Lotus Capital have developed an Islamic capital market Index. The National Pension Commission had in 2019 issued Regulation on Investment of Pension Fund Assets which recognised Government Sukuk as one of the accepted classes of assets for pension funds investment. In all, the Nigeria Islamic Finance Industry is fairly backed by regulations, sound supervisory structure and fragmented legal framework.

The East Africa Bank based in Djibouti has written to the Central Bank of Kenya raising concerns of a fraud using the bank's name and logo. Curiously, the logo, colours and the information on the website of the East African Savings Bank (EASB) are similar to those of the East Africa Bank based in the capital city of Djibouti. Both East Africa Bank and East Africa Savings Bank are apparently Sharia compliant. The East Africa Bank has already reported to the Central Bank of Kenya as well as the Banking fraud investigations unit for further action. The East Africa Bank believes this is a fraudulent misrepresentation and urges all customers to avoid dealing with the said entity.

L’Etat de Côte d’Ivoire procédera le 7 mars 2020 au paiement des profits semestriels et au remboursement partiel du capital de son Sukuk Etat de Côte d’Ivoire 5,75% 2016-2023 pour un montant global net d’impôt de 18,488 milliards de FCFA (27,732 millions d’euros). Les profits s’élèvent à 3,488 milliards de FCFA et le principal à 15 milliards de FCFA. L’Etat ivoirien avait lancé durant la période du premier au 31 août 2016 un appel public à l’épargne le sur le marché financier de l’Union monétaire ouest africaine (UMOA), pour un montant de 150 milliards de FCFA (225 millions d’euros). Le montant levé était destiné au financement de projets de développement économique et social de la Côte d’Ivoire.

Takaful Insurance of Africa developed a new product, a digital data protection tool that will enable individuals and businesses to secure their online presence. Known as MyCyberCare, the product will cover users on all forms of online fraud and virus attacks. During the presentation, Takaful representatives reiterated the importance of the recently signed Data Protection Bill that details a lot of measures that can be enforced to protect personal data. Takaful, which says it processes cybercrime claims in under 72 hours, will avail the product to interested companies and people. Plan prices will range from KES 50000 to KES 3 million.

Nigeria’s Jaiz Bank has been assigned positive rating by the Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA). This is the first rating for the bank as the first Sharia compliant bank in the country. The Bank gets an investment grade rating of BBB (Triple B) for the medium to long-term and A2 in the short-term (A Two) on the national scale. The IIRA also assigned it a foreign currency rating of B-/B (Single B Minus/B) and local currency rating of B/B (Single B/B) on the international scale with a ‘Stable’ outlook. The agency affirmed that when compared, Jaiz Bank fares well in terms of risk exposure with its gross non-performance falling below 10%.

Over the past two decades sub-Saharan Africa has made considerable economic progress, as extreme poverty levels have declined by one third; life expectancy has increased by a fifth; and real per capita income has grown by about 50 percent on average. Still sub-Saharan Africa is only half-way to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve its goals, sub-Saharan Africa will need financing.

The goverment is setting up regulatory frameworks for the Islamic financing, that is growing fast. In Tanzania at the time, it is only one bank that provides sharia-compliant financial products and services but other three conventional banks habe opened a window for Islamic banking.

Al Baraka Bank, the islamic financial institution has joined several traditional banks in South Africa in aligning its Corporate Strategy and Social Investment responsibilities with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Al Baraka Bank has become part of the alignment with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In Cameroon, only one bank (Afriland First Bank) and three microfinance institutions practice Islamic financing. Yet, the appropriation of this type of financing can considerably contribute to the development of financial inclusion in Cameroon. To raise awareness about the topic, the Ministry of Finance and the UNDP organized a forum on the theme "Islamic financing: contribution to Cameroon's economic growth and to the achievement of sustainable development goals". According to Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé, Islamic financing promotes financial inclusion and it can also constitute a complementary lever for economic growth by attracting foreign investment from Middle Eastern countries.

According to UNICEF, investing in children is the fundamental solution to end child poverty and inequality and set the foundation for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The statement was made during the Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference at the 10th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The 10th FOCAC Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, co-hosted by China’s State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP) and the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, had the theme of "Partnership for Transformation in Africa". Delegates expressed the urgent need to invest in social policies and infrastructures which combat child poverty in Africa, where around three out of every four children are affected by multi-dimensional poverty.

Focusing on "African financial inclusion in the digital era", this event is a continuation of a similar summit held in Tunisia in March 2019. The event in Dakar will address the topics of Islamic finance, financial technology and economic empowerment. Panel discussions will focus on the next generation of fintech and the outlook of Africa, the social impact of fintech and the challenges Islamic finance faces in the era of fintech. Workshop sessions include analysing big data in Islamic banking and understanding how digital payments can support sustainable development. This event is jointly organized by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and the International Islamic Finance Training Institute (IIFTI).

The Senior Director of the African Finance Corporation (AFC) Mr. Banji Fehintola spoke on the Proshare WebTV programme "Islamic Finance Weekly". He emphasised the need for Nigerians to understand the value of Islamic banking, which is geared towards deepening financial inclusion and driving economic prosperity. He commended the Federal Government for taking the lead in adopting the Islamic Finance product in the country. He said that Nigeria has taken a great step in terms of issuing Sukuk, and they are planning to issue the third one. He also added that with time the country will see corporate issuances in the Sukuk space.

Al Baraka bank announced the raise of R400m via its second Sukuk issuance. The Sukuk issued by Al Baraka will pay a variable return over its 10-year life and qualifies as tier 2 capital for the bank. Al Baraka SA financial director Abdullah Ameed said the intention is to raise the R400m in tranches of R100m. The first tranche should be completed by the end of the year, then the lender will look to raise R300m over the course of 2020. Al Baraka CEO Shabir Chohan says the proceeds will allow the bank to continue growing its advances book, despite the weak economy.

The Africa Fintech Network will take part in "The African Islamic FinTech Summit (SAIFI)" as a Community Partner. The event takes place at the Radisson Blu Plaza, Dakar (Senegal) on the 29th & 30th of November. The summit will host the POC and the launching of innovative FinTech Solutions and will include Keynote Sessions and Regulatory discussions between Government Agencies, Financial Institutions and Startups. In addition, a certified training session on "Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering (AML)" will be organised and facilitated by international experts from West African Financial institutions.

The Emir of Kano HRH Muhammad Sanusi II has called for robust regulatory and legal framework to deepen non-interest finance in Nigeria. He made this assertion as keynote speaker at the 4th African International Conference on Islamic Conference hosted in Lagos. As Africa faces a $360bn infrastructure gap, Sanusi was of the view that Islamic Finance offered an opportunity for addressing the deficit. Since the blueprint for Islamic Finance was rolled out in the country in 2013 it took 4 years for the issuance of first set of Sukuk bonds in 2017 and 2018 respectively. He commended the organizers of the conference and believed that it served as a platform for creating awareness on Islamic Finance as a vehicle for driving Alternative Financing in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.