African Development Bank Group

The African Development Bank Group has equipped over Gambians with knowledge on integrated safeguarding systems. The workshop provided 50 diverse Gambian participants with key knowledge on environmental/social instruments and the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, reduce, mitigate, compensate). The participants were drawn from projects being implemented by the Bank in Gambia. “This training on the Integrated Safeguards System has helped me look at the project life cycle differently as a supervisor. We have more clarity on the issues we faced with stakeholder engagement and monitoring implementation of the Environmental and Social Management Plan,” - Mr. Kingfrey Kaoma, an engineer working on bank-financed energy projects. The Bank updated rules for protecting people and the environment (called the Integrated Safeguards System) were approved by its Board of Directors on April 12, 2023. These rules officially started being used on May 31, 2024. ➡️ https://bit.ly/4mhnmj4

Driving Smarter VAT Compliance: East Africa’s Digital Leap – A Seminar for Governments, Businesses, and Innovators.   The African Development Bank Group’s Governance and Public Financial Management Coordination Office invites you to a seminar showcasing innovative practices in e-invoicing, e-filing, and audit automation, while offering a platform for knowledge sharing among East African countries.      The half-day event will facilitate dialogue between tax authorities, private enterprises, and regional organizations to identify collaborative strategies for improving VAT compliance. The workshop will also highlight the global trends in tax administration digitalization and their implications for African economies.      WHEN: Tuesday, June 17th, 2025; 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (GMT+3)   WHERE: Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi; and online      Details on how you can participate: https://bit.ly/43EFmfY 

Meet KOFFI AMANI FRANÇOIS XAVIER, the visionary 30-year-old founder of the Mon Chips brand. What started as a small snack food business with just $100 has grown into a multinational supplier of popular potato chips.        Koffi shared his inspiring journey at the African Development Bank Group’s Annual Meeting side event. Through the Bank’s ENABLE Youth AgriPitch competition, he gained essential skills, mentorship, and a $25,000 prize that enabled him to modernize production, expand to 150 points of sale in Côte d’Ivoire, and establish operations in four countries. His workforce has grown to 26 employees -- 80% of whom are women -- processing 50 tons of potato chips annually.        This success story demonstrates the transformative impact of the ENABLE Youth program, which has supported over 100,000 young people in agriculture across 18 African countries, generating an estimated 240,000 jobs.        "Agriculture offers the largest scale and quickest wins for youth employment," says Beth Dunford, Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.      The Bank's commitment to placing youth at the center of Africa’s agricultural and economic transformation continues, with discussions on scaling up to "Enable Youth 2.0," focusing on innovative financing and climate resilience. This is how we unleash the next generation of agricultural innovators in Africa.       Learn more: https://bit.ly/43xDfZV #YouthEmployment 

WEEKLY RECAP ➡️ Government of #Zambia and the African Development Bank Group mark milestone with stone-laying ceremony for the Bank’s permanent office in Lusaka. Since 1971, the institution has provided $2.7B in support for transport, agriculture, energy and more, boosting development and creating jobs: bit.ly/43UFpTI ➡️ African Development Bank to provide $184.1 million for Africa’s largest solar energy and battery storage project. The Obelisk 1-gigawatt solar photovoltaic project and 200MWh battery energy storage system in southern #Egypt is expected to be fully operational by 3rd quarter of 2026: https://bit.ly/45PuJbx ➡️ The African Development Bank’s new Financial Products Handbook is OUT! Discover diverse lending, risk management, equity, guarantees & trade finance tools designed for Africa economic transformation. DOWNLOAD: bit.ly/3FKDMQv

The African Development Bank Board of Directors has approved an investment of $100 million in the industrial platform developer and operator Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms Ltd (Arise IIP).   The funds will be used to develop industrial parks and special economic zones across Africa as a part of the Bank's industrialisation strategic priority and flagship Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ).  "Through programs like the African Development Bank’s SAPZ and investments in zones, partner companies like Arise IIP, we enable transformative, private sector-led agro-industrialization that boosts local processing of commodities, creates jobs and grows rural economies," said Dr. Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.  Gagan Gupta, CEO of Arise IIP, remarked, "The African Development Bank’s investment highlights their confidence in our model as a driver of Africa’s industrial growth. We are excited to strengthen our efforts in transforming local value chains, creating jobs, and supporting sustainable economic development across the continent."  More on the partnership: https://bit.ly/3Z7MIWH #IndustrialiseAfrica #FeedAfrica 

At CGAP #RethinkingResilience forum, the African Development Bank Group shared highlights of initiatives to boost #FinancialInclusion across Africa, including digital solutions supported by Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) and the Bank.      "Inclusive finance boosts resilience across health, education, agriculture by improving access to services, enabling timely cash transfers, expanding credit and insurance for farmers, and reaching underserved populations." – Mohamadou BA, Division Manager, Financial Intermediation and Inclusion, African Development Bank Group.  

Three African countries selected to participate in CIF's Industry Decarbonization investment program. “The African Development Bank is proud to partner with CIF on this pioneering initiative, which will support countries in charting low-carbon industrial pathways, creating green jobs, and enhancing global competitiveness in climate-smart industries. The Bank commends Egypt, Namibia, and South Africa for being among the first African countries considered eligible for support under the CIF’s Industry Decarbonization investment program.” - Anthony Nyong, Director for Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank.

SAVE THE DATE: #AfricaInvestmentForum 2025 Market Days       The African Development Bank and other founding partners of the Africa Investment Forum will host the 2025 Market Days in Rabat, #Morocco from November 26-28.      Market Days, the centerpiece of the Africa Investment Forum platform, brings together investors, project sponsors, government leaders, financiers, insurers, commercial banks, and export credit agencies to drive impactful African projects in sectors like infrastructure, digitalization, agribusiness, and energy toward financial close.      More info on #AIF2025: https://bit.ly/43H2Pgv 

African Development Bank to provide $184.1 million for Africa’s largest solar energy and battery storage project.      The Obelisk 1-gigawatt solar photovoltaic project and 200MWh battery energy storage system in Qena Governorate, southern #Egypt, is expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of 2026. It will generate an estimated 2,772 gigawatt-hours of clean, reliable, and affordable energy annually to the national grid.       The battery energy storage system will help meet peak evening demand with renewable power while also mitigating the variability of solar power generation. The project is expected to reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by approximately one million tons and create about 4,000 jobs during construction and 50 permanent jobs during operation, with a special focus on women and youth employment.      #Obelisk is another landmark development under the Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy (NWFE) platform that leverages on Egypt’s and the African Development Bank’s leadership as well as commitment to harnessing the country’s renewable energy to enhance the resilience of the country’s energy supply to meet its fast-growing energy demand sustainably, said Kevin KARIUKI, African Development Bank Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth.       More details: https://bit.ly/45PuJbx #PoweringAfrica 

TODAY: "EMPOWER AFRICA: Understanding Capacity Gaps in Fragile and Transitional Contexts – Emerging Lessons for Better Programming."      Our African Development Institute to host a webinar at 14:00 – 15:30 GMT to provide insights from the recent Country Capacity Development Needs Assessments conducted in the Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau, Somalia, and South Sudan.      What you can expect:       ➡️  Emerging Lessons: Gain a deep understanding of the capacity gaps identified in fragile and transitional contexts.      ➡️  Impactful Strategies: Discover how these insights can be transformed into targeted, effective programming.      ➡️  Deep Dive into Diagnosis: Learn how capacity gaps in fragile and transitional contexts are identified and addressed.      ➡️  Strategic Insights: Explore how these assessments drive targeted interventions, refine programming, and foster policy reforms.      Register to join us: https://bit.ly/4mWCdj4