AfDB and UNFPA Leaders Sign New Partnership to Empower Youth and Women in Africa

President Ould Tah, who assumed office on 1 September 2025, said revitalising partnerships is one of his four core priorities during his first 100 days in office.

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Sidi Ould Tah, has pledged to deepen ties with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) following a high-level meeting with the agency’s new Executive Director, Diene Keita, at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The talks, held on Monday, marked Keita’s first official visit to the AfDB since her appointment in August 2025, and focused on scaling up joint efforts to address urgent development challenges across the continent.

Building on Decades of Collaboration

The AfDB and UNFPA partnership dates back to 1988, and was formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding in 1992. Since then, the two institutions have worked together on numerous projects in reproductive health, women’s empowerment, and youth development.

President Ould Tah, who assumed office on 1 September 2025, said revitalising partnerships is one of his four core priorities during his first 100 days in office. “I am delighted with the quality of the partnership that already exists between the African Development Bank Group and UNFPA,” he remarked.

He praised UN Secretary-General António Guterres for appointing Ms. Keita, noting that her leadership will be vital in strengthening global cooperation on women’s rights, family health, and education. “We need expertise, commitment, and the ability to develop partnerships, especially in these difficult times,” he said.

A Shared Agenda for Women and Youth

The discussions focused on Africa’s youth bulge, reproductive and maternal health, education, employment, and the empowerment of women. Both leaders stressed that solutions must be innovative, sustainable, and inclusive.

One notable example highlighted was the “2 Hours for Life” program, a joint initiative in Benin, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire, which uses drones to deliver emergency medical supplies to remote areas. This innovation has significantly reduced delays in obstetric care and saved lives.

“Today, we have an opportunity to change the paradigm and bring a new dimension to the partnership,” Ould Tah said. “Together, we can make the AfDB and UNFPA the nucleus of a broader coalition focused on youth, women, maternal, and child health.”

Keita’s Call for Global Cooperation

In her remarks, Ms. Keita, who now holds the rank of UN Under-Secretary-General, emphasised that strong partnerships are essential to counter today’s crisis of multilateralism. She outlined areas of potential collaboration, including:

• Youth empowerment and education

• Health financing and universal access to care

• Women’s leadership and economic inclusion

• Climate resilience, peace, and security

“Working with the Bank and expanding this future partnership to include all development agencies is imperative,” Keita said. “We are particularly concerned about maternal and population health, and we must join forces to ensure these urgent needs are met.”

Next Steps: A New Framework for Action

To formalise the renewed cooperation, Ould Tah announced that an AfDB task force will work with UNFPA to develop a new partnership framework document. The framework will identify pilot projects, likely beginning in Côte d’Ivoire, before expanding across the continent.

He stressed that effective collaboration will require mobilising a wide network of partners, from governments to private sector actors and civil society. “We need real solutions that cannot be partial solutions. We need everyone,” Ould Tah said.

A Path Forward

The meeting signals a new chapter in AfDB–UNFPA cooperation, with both institutions committed to leveraging their resources and expertise to empower Africa’s youth and women, tackle public health challenges, and strengthen resilience in the face of climate and security threats.

Alsalem will present a detailed report on her mission to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2026, with further recommendations on how to scale up these collaborative efforts.