How debt and geopolitics made a lethal mix for development

After years of easy Eurobond access and ramped-up Chinese lending, developing economies are now caught between rising interest rates and geopolitical tensions, making debt restructurings more numerous and more complicated. Despite some progress in inter-creditor talks, many debtor nations face an uncertain financial future.

In early February 2020, weeks before Covid-19 sent the world into lockdown, the Republic of Ghana stormed the debt capital markets with a $3 billion Eurobond. The deal marked the longest-ever bond from sub-Saharan Africa, with a 40-year maturity. At a time when developed market investors were in a desperate search for yield, it priced at just below 9%.

Although bankers lauded the deal at the time, Ghana was borrowing far too much.

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