DIDG plans $200m investment bonds 

Source: DIDG plans $200m investment bonds | The Financial Gazette February 27, 2018

By Staff Reporter

THE Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group (DIDG), which won the $400 million National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) recapitalisation tender jointly with Africa’s largest rail company, Transnet, is mulling investing in various sectors of the economy.

DIDG chairman, Donovan Chimhandamba said the delivery of railway equipment last week to NRZ was “just the beginning” as the group is now on a credible path to mobilise for structured diaspora investments.

“Diaspora remittances through formal channels are estimated to be $1 billion while remittances through the informal channels exceed $3 billion. The diaspora remittances are too significant to be ignored and could be trebled if proper structures and incentives are put in place,” he said.

Chimhandamba noted that the investment group is structured in a way that allows the country’s expatriates around the world to participate in infrastructure investment programmes.

“We are in the process of assessing various investment structures including listed collective investment schemes and diaspora bonds. Once we have launched these instruments we believe we can easily mobilise project based investments from tranches of up to $200 million in leveraged capital per project,” he said.