Arab Coordination Group, AfDB Launch Strategic Partnership for Africa Investment
The Arab Coordination Group (ACG) and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) have launched a new phase of their partnership focused on scaling co-financing, mobilizing private capital, and accelerating Africa’s economic transformation.
The initiative was formalized during a High-Level Consultation Meeting held at the AfDB’s headquarters in Abidjan. The meeting established a shared platform to shift from fragmented collaboration toward programmatic, large-scale co-investment aligned with Africa’s development priorities.
The consultation took place against the backdrop of a widening development financing gap across the continent and the urgent need to mobilize capital at scale for critical priorities, including energy access, climate resilience, food security, regional integration, and private-sector-led growth.
ACG and AfDB
Discussions centered on how the ACG and AfDB can jointly anchor Arab-African co-financing by leveraging their combined balance sheets, long-term and counter-cyclical financing capabilities, sector expertise, and country platforms. Moreover, the objective is to mobilize larger, more coordinated public and private investments in support of Africa’s development agenda.
Participants explored practical pathways to strengthen joint project preparation, harmonize financing approaches, deepen policy dialogue, leverage comparative advantages, and support country-led development strategies—while ensuring measurable impact and long-term resilience.
The consultation was also framed within the AfDB’s efforts to strengthen Africa’s financial sovereignty through the New African Financial Architecture (NAFA), which seeks to better integrate development finance institutions, guarantee providers, insurers, capital markets, and private investors.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint declaration establishing a strategic partnership between the ACG and the AfDB. Additionally, the declaration sets out a shared political vision and translates it into operational priorities, including principles for institutional follow-up to guide the next phase of Arab-African cooperation.
As a next step, the declaration calls for the development of a financing and operational partnership framework, to be considered in 2026. This framework will define modalities for co-financing, pipeline coordination, mutual reliance, and regular joint programming. It also underscores the central role of the African Development Fund (ADF), the AfDB Group’s concessional financing arm, in supporting low-income and fragile countries, and encourages closer collaboration between ACG institutions and the ADF.
Related Topics :
ICIEC, SAPICO Announce Strategic Partnership to Boost Trade, Investment Opportunities
Saudi Arabia Announces Plan to Invest in Meat Self-Sufficiency
Saudi Family Forum Launches National Framework for Children’s Online Safety
Board of Grievances Attains ISO 20000 Certification for IT Service Management
