Hello everyone, I'm new here and otherwise active in the German...

Hello everyone, I'm new here and otherwise active in the German forum, other people involved here can also confirm! I took the trouble to find out what Ecograf still needs so that it can finally get financing for the Epanko project. Since you in Australia, of course, cannot know all of the German authorities and processes and we Germans can also be very complex and complicated, it was of course not easy, but I would like to provide you with the explanations:

Enclosed are the next meeting dates

the IMA for the UFK guarantees / Euler Hermes commission, which we need so that the KfW Ipex Bank finally finances our project and the federal government assumes the default risks in the background. It will be decided there whether KfW Ipex Bank will also have its financing commitment to Ecograf covered by the federal government.

February 22, 2024

March 21, 2024

April 18, 2024

etc.

https://www.exportkredit Garantien.de/de/wissen/wissenstransfer/ima.html

And attached is the explanation of how UFK guarantees work and why KfW Ipex Bank is asking the federal government for them and what the requirements are::

https://www.ufk-guarantees.de/de

The important thing is that there must be at least one German buyer of raw materials, which means that one or more companies have already been determined that will purchase graphite from Ecograf. Furthermore, this project must be abroad and in regions that do not have 100% western stable conditions, all of which applies to the Epanko project.

Otherwise, KfW Ipex Bank cannot and will not submit this application to the federal government/Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is in charge.

In this respect, KfW Ipex Bank already gave its commitment to finance the project at the end of November, which was also published, and is just waiting for the protection from the federal government (UFK guarantees)!

I hope we get the final go-ahead on the respective meeting dates!

I am therefore very confident that we will get the commitments we need and that the Epanko project can really start. The KfW Ipex Bank will not allow such procedures to run for years if in the end it makes no sense for Germany and German companies that have a great interest in it, and Tanzania will also grant the SML through your administrative swamp, if only out of their own interest in mining the country to move forward and to scare away investors by not granting licenses. However, both have to go hand in hand and this delays the process even before Ecograf gets the financing and receives the SML.

I hope I was able to bring some light into the darkness and spread a little more positive hope! Until then!