Key Takeaways
- • The African Development Bank Group and the African Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) announced a strengthened strategic partnership to mobilise African institutional capital for cross-border infrastructure, formalised through a declaration of intent signed in Abidjan on 26 June 2026.
- • The agreement operationalises the Abidjan Consensus and the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), the Bank Group's flagship financing agenda led by President Dr Sidi Ould Tah.
- • ASIF, a pan-African platform of 17 African sovereign wealth investors launched in June 2022 in Rabat, Morocco, pledged continued support for NAFAD deployment through new investment platforms.
- • Priority sectors cited include energy infrastructure and regional corridors, which the Bank describes as essential levers for inclusive growth and shared prosperity.
Summary
The African Development Bank Group and the African Sovereign Investors Forum (ASIF) have announced a strengthened strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the mobilisation of African institutional capital for cross-border infrastructure projects, according to the Bank's published release dated 13 July 2026. The enhanced collaboration follows the signing of a declaration of intent in Abidjan on 26 June 2026. The declaration builds on an existing collaborative framework and introduces new investment platforms intended to support transformative projects.
The agreement is framed as a concrete step in implementing the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), the flagship financing agenda championed by the Bank Group under President Dr Sidi Ould Tah. Obaïd Amrane, Chief Executive Officer of Morocco's Ithmar Capital and Chairman of ASIF, described the declaration as an operational implementation of the Abidjan Consensus and NAFAD. He said ASIF reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Bank Group to deploy NAFAD and strengthen the capacity of African institutions to mobilise resources and direct investment toward transformative projects.
Aida Ngom, Director of the Bank Group's Private Sector Development Department, said the agreement reflects a convergence of ambitions between the two organisations and an alignment with the Four Cardinal Points that guide the Bank's interventions. She cited energy infrastructure and regional corridors among the key sectors, describing these investments as essential levers for inclusive growth and shared prosperity.
ASIF, launched in June 2022 in Rabat, Morocco, brings together 17 African sovereign wealth investors to promote cooperation, knowledge sharing and coordinated capital mobilisation in support of the continent's structural transformation. The release did not disclose specific deal values, fund sizes or timelines for the new investment platforms.
The agreement is framed as a concrete step in implementing the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), the flagship financing agenda championed by the Bank Group under President Dr Sidi Ould Tah. Obaïd Amrane, Chief Executive Officer of Morocco's Ithmar Capital and Chairman of ASIF, described the declaration as an operational implementation of the Abidjan Consensus and NAFAD. He said ASIF reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Bank Group to deploy NAFAD and strengthen the capacity of African institutions to mobilise resources and direct investment toward transformative projects.
Aida Ngom, Director of the Bank Group's Private Sector Development Department, said the agreement reflects a convergence of ambitions between the two organisations and an alignment with the Four Cardinal Points that guide the Bank's interventions. She cited energy infrastructure and regional corridors among the key sectors, describing these investments as essential levers for inclusive growth and shared prosperity.
ASIF, launched in June 2022 in Rabat, Morocco, brings together 17 African sovereign wealth investors to promote cooperation, knowledge sharing and coordinated capital mobilisation in support of the continent's structural transformation. The release did not disclose specific deal values, fund sizes or timelines for the new investment platforms.
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