UBA pledges major Investment to Back Chad’s $30bn ‘Tchad Connexion 2030’ plan

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) has committed to a significant investment partnership to support Chad’s ambitious $30 billion ‘Tchad Connexion 2030’ national development initiative.

This move reinforces the bank’s strategic role in financing Africa’s economic transformation.

The partnership will see UBA collaborate with the Chadian government on several fronts, including:

· Structuring Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for solar plants and water treatment facilities.

· Providing syndicated loans and project financing to connect regional energy grids, ensuring stable and affordable power for industries.

· Deploying digital payment platforms to support Chad’s e-tax and e-registry initiatives, enhancing transparency and efficiency for investors.

Oliver Alawuba, UBA Group Managing Director, announced the commitment at the UAE-Chad Trade and Investment Forum in Abu Dhabi.

He described Chad’s 2030 plan—a blueprint of 268 projects spanning infrastructure, industrialisation, and human development—as a compelling model of Africa’s shift from potential to execution.

“Competitiveness is not born in boardrooms; it is built on the ground,” Alawuba stated, emphasizing that achieving key targets like 60% electrification and expanded water access would be crucial for inclusive growth.

Alawuba positioned UBA as an “architect of finance,” leveraging its presence in 20 African countries and global financial centres to structure and de-risk investments.

He highlighted a critical funding gap, noting that less than 15% of Africa’s estimated $4 trillion in domestic financial assets is deployed into productive infrastructure. UBA’s goal is to bridge this gap through credible partnerships.

To illustrate UBA’s capacity, he cited major continental projects, including:

· A $400 million commitment to Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project.

· $700 million invested in Nigeria’s power sector.

· $315 million for road infrastructure in Ghana.

Within Chad itself, UBA has already injected over $102 million into critical projects, including a domestic gas project, a wind farm, and funding for road maintenance and telecom modernisation.

Alawuba concluded by outlining a collaborative financing framework that brings together international investors, African banks, and Development Finance Institutions.

He argued that such a model can unlock a multiplier effect, where every dollar of strategic African capital can attract ten to twenty dollars in international funding, calling the financing of African competitiveness “the smartest investment we can make in a future of shared prosperity.”

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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