TriLinc Global Impact Fund announced last week that it has approved $16.6 million in term loan and trade finance transactions to companies in South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, and Nigeria.

The deals bring TriLinc’s total financing commitments for business expansion and socioeconomic development in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to $86.9 million.

TriLinc is an impact investing fund that provides growth-stage loans and trade finance to small and medium enterprises in developing economies where access to capital is limited. Impact investing has the dual objectives of achieving a reasonable financial return and creating measurable impacts on communities.

“TriLinc’s recent investments in Sub-Saharan Africa seek to support the backbone of economic development throughout the region: locally-owned and operated SMEs,” said Gloria Nelund, TriLinc CEO. “From Nigeria to South Africa, TriLinc has provided timely and flexible financing to local growth-stage enterprises that seek to enhance their competitive positioning in both domestic and international markets while creating lasting economic and social value in the communities where they operate.”

TriLinc’s recent transactions, all closing in July, included funding four separate deals totaling $500,000 as part of an existing $2,500,000 revolving trade finance facility at a fixed interest rate of 15 percent to a South African textile distributor. The transactions are secured by inventory being imported into South Africa from Asia.

TriLinc also funded $2,500,000 as part of an existing $10,000,000 trade finance facility at an interest rate of 12.5 percent to a Zambian farm supplies distributor engaged in warehousing and trading of agricultural commodities including fertilizer, maize, soy beans, ground nuts, and seed.

In another deal, TriLinc provided $1 million in funding at a fixed interest rate of 12 percent to a Namibian consumer goods importer and distributor.

In the largest deal, TriLinc provided $12.6 million in funding to a locally-owned Nigerian marine logistics provider. TriLinc financing will enable the company to pursue long-term growth objectives while supporting employee capacity-building initiatives and employment generation.