By MIKE OMUODO

The African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), part of World Bank Group Guarantees, have signed a three-year partnership to accelerate foreign direct investment across Africa. This is the second agreement between the two organizations aimed at maximising development impact. 

The organizations will collaborate by leveraging ATIDI's expertise in insurance and guarantee products across the African continent and MIGA's range of guarantee solutions and guarantee expertise through the World Bank Group guarantee platform. The partnership will also seek to improve efficiency in joint project due diligence, maximising cost savings and eliminating duplication.

 Quote from Manuel Moses, CEO, ATIDI

"Enabling more investment to finance transformational projects is vital to Africa's sustained development. MIGA and ATIDI's de-risking solutions are essential to achieve this crucial agenda. Beyond signing of this agreement, we look forward to a dynamic collaboration with MIGA, to leverage our institutions' respective assets for the benefit of our continent." 

The agreement framework emphasizes mutual reliance, accountability, and comparability. Each party will regularly share operating standards and procedures to help identify comparable outcomes to further both organizations' development mandates. 

Quote from Hiroshi Matano, MIGA Executive Vice President

"Our partnership with ATIDI will enable us to support countries in Africa in scaling and replicating development projects, thereby accelerating prosperity. This agreement will play a significant role in helping the continent attract foreign investment for key development projects."   

Both organizations have agreed to set up mechanisms to measure progress and results, including reports on joint projects, new products, capital mobilized, and reduced project processing times. Moreover, both parties will carry out joint marketing efforts, training, and seminars to strengthen cooperation and explore new investment opportunities in Africa. 

The strategic agreement framework underscores the commitment of MIGA and ATIDI to create a world free of poverty on a liveable planet. The two organizations aim to mitigate investment risks by pooling resources, thereby accelerating sustainable economic growth in Africa.

ATIDI was founded in 2001 by African States to cover trade and investment risks of companies doing business in Africa. ATIDI predominantly provides Political Risk, Credit Insurance and Surety Insurance. Since inception, ATIDI has supported USD85 billion worth of investments and cross border trade into Africa. For over a decade, ATIDI has maintained an 'A/Stable' rating for Financial Strength and Counterparty Credit by Standard & Poor's, and in 2019, ATIDI obtained an A3/Stable rating from Moody's, which has now been upgraded to A2/Positive.