VdA assists Mota-Engil África on €120M credit guarantee

Vieira de Almeida has advised Mota-Engil África, a construction and infrastructure company, on an agreement with African Development Bank for a €120 million partial credit guarantee to accelerate a infrastructure project pipeline. The guarantee supports €170 million Sustainability-Linked Loan provided by Deutsche Bank Abidjan. Ashurst has advised the African Development Bank, while Baker Mckenzie has advised Deutsche Bank on the deal. Cygnum Capital acted as financial adviser to Mota-Engil.

This transaction marks the Bank Group’s first direct support to an engineering, procurement and construction company in Africa. The guarantee will enable Mota-Engil Africa to strengthen its financial profile, extend the maturity of its debt, and deliver a pipeline of projects. These will include transport infrastructure, environmental services, water and sanitation systems, and energy-efficient civil works in over a dozen African countries.

At Vieira de Almeida, the advisory was led by Hugo Moredo Santos (partner, pictured) and involved the participation of Daniel Bettega Proença de Carvalho (managing associate), Júlio Venâncio (senior associate), Tiago Peyroteo and Inês Freire da Veiga (both associates) from the banking & finance practice, alongside with Rita Pereira de Abreu (senior associate) from VdA’s tax practice.