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African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

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    • Bleming Nekati
    • African Development Bank’s Johannesburg Deal Signals a New Era in City-Led Urban Investment (By Bleming Nekati)
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Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

African Development Bank’s Johannesburg Deal Signals a New Era in City-Led Urban Investment (By Bleming Nekati)

This funding will have a direct and tangible impact on the daily lives of Johannesburg residents by strengthening basic services and expanding economic opportunities

 Bleming Nekati is the Regional Head for Private Sector Operations in Southern Africa at the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org). In June 2025, a quiet but important decision marked a real turning point in African urban finance. The African Development Bank's Board of Directors approved a ZAR 2.5 billion ($139 million)…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

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    • Left to right: Marcelin Kanabé Passalé (2nd from left), Minister of Water and Energy, Chad; Haoua Amadou, Minister of Energy, Niger; Yacouba Zabré Gouba, Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, Burkina Faso; Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Djibouti; Kevin Kariuki, the African Development Bank Group Vice President for Power Energy, Climate and Green Growth; Aminata Fofana, Technical Advisor representing Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water; and Daniel Ndoye, the Bank Group’s Country Manager in Burkina Faso, took part in the fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Desert to Power Initiative in Ouagadougou
    • The participants in front of the Gonsin photovoltaic power plant, northwest of Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, illustrating the tangible results and impact of the Desert to Power Initiative in the country
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Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

Desert to Power: Independent power production in Sahel takes decisive step forward at fifth ministerial meeting

The ministers welcomed the project’s significant progress, particularly the implementation of over 15 projects, the first few of which are already operational

On 30 June 2025 in Ouagadougou, representatives from six member countries of the Desert to Power Initiative (https://apo-opa.co/3GlwfrL) approved key strategic documents to boost independent power production in the Sahel, at the fifth ministerial meeting of the project, spearheaded by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org). This crucial meeting provided an opportunity…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

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    • Participants in the Seventh Africa Gender Statistics Forum (AGSF 2025); Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 30 June 2025; The Forum brings together policymakers, statisticians, and gender experts from across the continent to advance inclusive data systems for women and girls
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Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

At Africa gender statistics forum, African leaders urge renewed commitment to quality gender data

Funding gaps threaten equality gains, experts say

Amid growing setbacks on gender equality and increasing financial constraints, African policymakers, gender experts, and development specialists are calling for renewed collaboration and sustained investment in national gender data systems across the continent. This is the message of the ongoing Seventh Africa Gender Statistics Forum taking place in Abidjan, Côte…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

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    • Energy transition programme beneficiaries install solar panels in a South African community
    • Three young women participate in a National Business Initiative skills training program, gaining practical trade skills to support South Africa's economy
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Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

African Development Bank awards $1 million grant to support green skills development for South Africans, with focus on youth

The National Business Initiative, an independent, business movement of nearly 100 South African and multi-national companies, will implement AfDB’s $1 million FAPA grant

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), through the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), has awarded a $1 million grant to South Africa’s National Business Initiative (NBI) to strengthen efforts to build a dynamic, demand-led skills ecosystem that enables South Africans, particularly young people, to access emerging job opportunities in…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

Ethiopia: African Development Bank approves $50 million Trade Finance Transaction Guarantee Facility to Awash Bank for support to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and local corporates

This facility will enable the Bank to provide a guarantee of up to 100 percent to confirming banks for the non-payment risk arising from the confirmation of Letters of Credit and similar trade finance instruments issued by Awash

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $50 million Trade Finance Transaction Guarantee facility to support to trade finance activities of Awash Bank S.C. (Awash) (https://apo-opa.co/44ecHyL), in Ethiopia.   This facility will enable the Bank to provide a guarantee of up to 100 percent…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

The African Development Bank and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) scale up drive for sustainable urbanization in Africa

The organizations will jointly develop action plans that combine technical assistance, policy support, capacity-building, and knowledge exchange to local governments

The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration and accelerate action on sustainable urban transformation across the continent. Under the agreement, the organizations will jointly develop action plans that combine technical assistance, policy support, capacity-building,…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

African Development Bank approves $47.5 million loan to spur Eswatini's economic growth

The loan will support the government's efforts to transform the economy, achieve sustainable growth, create jobs, improve service delivery, and enhance the livelihoods of its people

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $47.5 million loan to the Kingdom of Eswatini. The loan will support the government's efforts to transform the economy, achieve sustainable growth, create jobs, improve service delivery, and enhance the livelihoods of its people.  The Enhancing…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

African Development Bank approves ZAR 2.5 billion loan to City of Johannesburg for critical urban infrastructure development

First direct lending to a subnational entity in Africa will support water, electricity, and waste management systems for Africa's largest economic hub

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a ZAR 2.5 billion (approximately $139 million) corporate loan to the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, marking the Bank's first direct lending to a subnational entity in Africa.   The transaction will finance critical infrastructure projects in electricity,…

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

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    • Workers in the control room of the Xina Solar plant, African Development Bank’s first renewable energy IPP investment in South Africa
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Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

African Development Bank Approves $474.6 Million Loan to support South Africa's Infrastructure Governance and Green Growth

The landmark financing backs infrastructure overhaul, renewable energy expansion, and climate resilience while safeguarding vulnerable communities

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $474.6 million loan for South Africa's Infrastructure Governance and Green Growth Programme (IGGGP). This financing marks a significant milestone in the country’s transition toward a sustainable, low-carbon economy. This IGGGP is the second phase of the…

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    • AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina (l) and AIIB President Jin Liqun shake hands following the signing of an MOU renewing their institutions' collaboration to foster sustainable economic development for Africa. Paris, June 2025
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Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) |

CORRECTION: African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) renewing their collaboration on sustainable economic development for Africa

The MOU will promote among other things, co-financing, co-guaranteeing and other forms of joint participation in financial assistance for development projects primarily in sustainable infrastructure

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have signed an agreement strengthening their collaboration on sustainable economic development, designed to boost infrastructure development and economic opportunities across the African continent. The Memorandum of Understanding, which builds on an earlier one in 2018, was signed by…