AfDB and AFD Move to Scale Joint Investment Across Africa’s Priority Sectors

AfDB Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Nnenna Nwabufo said the partnership has reached a decisive moment.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) are moving to scale up joint investment and deepen alignment on Africa’s development priorities, following high-level talks in Abidjan aimed at accelerating impact and delivery.

Senior leaders from both institutions met at the African Development Bank’s headquarters on 23 January, reaffirming a shared focus on high-impact sectors including energy — notably through the Mission 300 initiative — jobs and skills, entrepreneurship, water, and agriculture.

The discussions are expected to directly inform negotiations on a new partnership agreement, as the current 2021–2026 Partnership Framework Agreement enters its final phase. To date, the cofinancing partnership has mobilised nearly €2.4 billion for development projects across the continent.

AfDB Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Nnenna Nwabufo said the partnership has reached a decisive moment.

“We have a strong pipeline of opportunities before us,” Nwabufo said. “By sharpening our focus on a few high-impact sectors and moving faster from pipeline to implementation, we can significantly scale up our joint impact for the people of Africa.”

She added that the Bank’s proposed strategic orientation places partnerships at the centre of efforts to mobilise capital at scale, harness Africa’s demographic dividend, and deliver climate-resilient infrastructure.

AFD Executive Director for Mobilisation, Partnerships and Communication Adama Mariko said the meeting raised ambitions for the next phase of cooperation.

“This deep dive came at a strategic moment, coinciding with the leadership transition at the African Development Bank and the final year of the Partnership Framework Agreement,” Mariko said. “We reaffirmed our priority sectors — particularly entrepreneurship, employment, vocational training and agriculture — and explored opportunities for collaboration on key initiatives such as the New African Financial Architecture.”

Both sides agreed to accelerate project implementation, with discussions also covering near-term cofinancing opportunities and concrete actions to unlock projects already in the pipeline.

Beyond financing, the talks explored ways to strengthen institutional collaboration, including staff exchanges and closer coordination between regional and sector teams to improve efficiency and delivery.

Development partners and stakeholders are encouraged to engage early as AfDB and AFD move toward a renewed partnership focused on speed, scale and tangible results for Africa’s economies and communities.