EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund
The EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund (EU-AITF) was set up by the European Commission and EU Member States in order to support on regional or cross-border infrastructure projects in the transport, energy, digitalisation and water sectors in Sub-Saharan African, with the aim to facilitate continental integration. It also promotes cooperation between European and non-European organisations working in development aid.
Up until 2019, the EU-AITF offered grant support from two different envelopes:
→ The Regional envelope promoting regional infrastructure projects in the sectors of energy, transport, water and digitalisation: projects must have a regional impact by being either cross-border or national with demonstrable impact on two or more countries.
→ The SE4ALL envelope supporting regional, national and local energy projects targeting SE4ALL objectives: access to modern energy services, increase energy efficiency, increase the production and use of renewable energy.
EU-AITF grants supported projects at various stages:
- “Project identification” – to develop or prioritise other projects
- “Project preparation” – to assess feasibility of a project or to help design it
- “Investment phase” – to support project construction or implementation
Types of grants
- Technical assistance for preparatory work (such as feasibility studies, environmental and social impact assessments, or resettlement action plans), for project supervision, and also for targeted capacity building such as reinforcing the technical and administrative knowledge of local staff in Africa.
- Interest rate subsidies reduce the total amount of debt service. Such subsidies allow the final financing package to achieve the level of concessionality required by debt sustainability programmes of e.g. the World Bank or the IMF.
- Investment Grants are non-reimbursable contributions to finance tangible or intangible project components with the aim to decrease the total investment costs or to increase the concessionality level of the financing package of a project.
- Financial Instruments comprise, but are not limited to, guarantees, loan guarantee cost financing, insurance premia, equity or quasi-equity investments or participations and risk-sharing instruments.
List of eligible countries
| Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso |
| Burundi | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic |
| Chad | Comoros | Congo Brazzaville | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Djibouti | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Eswatini |
| Ethiopia | Gabon | Gambia | Ghana |
| Guinea Republic | Guinea Bissau | Ivory Coast | Kenya |
| Lesotho | Liberia | Madagascar | Malawi |
| Mali | Mauritania | Mauritius | Mozambique |
| Namibia | Niger | Nigeria | Rwanda |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Senegal | Seychelles | Sierra Leone |
| Somalia | Sudan | Tanzania | Togo |
| Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
