NEWS LINE

  Co-financed by the African Development Fund, the Kazungula Bridge connects Zambia and Botswana over the Zambezi River. Since its completion in 2021, the bridge has helped strengthen regional trade and transport along the North–South Corridor. The pivotal role of the African Development Bank Group’s African Development Fund in advancing economic transformation across Africa's most fragile states was the showcase of a media-focused virtual briefing, co-hosted by the African Center for Economic Transformation and the Global Strategic Communications Council.   Held on 29 July, the event brought together development partners, journalists, and policymakers for an in-depth discussion on the Fund’s impact and evolving strategic direction.    “The African Development Fund has long flown under the radar,” said Valerie Dabady, African Development Bank Manager for Resource Mobilization and Partnerships, in keynote remarks. “But this is a pivotal moment to raise its p...

  What:            African Transformation Briefing on the 17th African Development Fund Replenishment (ADF-17) Who:              African Development Bank Group, African Center for Economic Transformation, Global Strategic Communications Council When:           Tuesday, 29 July 2025, 13:30-15:00 GMT Where:         Virtual (Register  here ) The African Center for Economic Transformation, in partnership with the Global Strategic Communications Council, will host a special virtual edition of the African Transformation Briefing focused on the 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF-17). This media-focused session will explore how the Fund continues to deliver catalytic, concessional financing tailored to Africa’s evolving development priorities in an increasingly complex global enviro...

  The African Development Fund has appointed Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President and CEO of the  ONE Campaign , as a Champion for its 17th replenishment cycle, ADF-17. This cycle comes at a pivotal moment as the Fund seeks to scale catalytic investments to advance resilience, integration, and inclusive growth across Africa’s most vulnerable economies. As Champion, Nwuneli will play a role in mobilizing support for ADF-17. She will draw on her extensive leadership experience to amplify the Fund’s visibility, foster strategic partnerships, and engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders around its core priorities–climate adaptation, regional integration, and targeted support for countries facing fragility and conflict. “This partnership with the ONE Campaign comes at a critical moment for the African Development Fund. As Champion for ADF-17, Ndidi brings a powerful voice and trusted leadership that will help elevate the Fund’s visibility, highlight Africa’s development priorities, and ...

  The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved $19.93 million grant funding for the Resilience Building - Vulnerable Youth and Women Support Project, designed to improve access to basic social services for underserved communities in The Gambia. The initiative seeks to address the root causes of poverty and irregular migration by creating sustainable livelihoods and tackling early signs of fragility and preventing structural drivers of conflict and instability in the targeted region. It forms part of the Bank’s scaled-up prevention agenda under the Prevention Envelope of the Transition Support Facility (TSF), which emphasizes early response to fragility risks and systematic drivers of conflict. The Gambia faces severe economic challenges, with 53.4% of the population living below the poverty line. Poverty is particularly severe in rural areas, affecting 76 percent of residents, compared to 34 percent in urban areas. Youth unemployment stands at 38.6%, wi...

  Ntambwe water tower in Central Kasaï Drinking clean water, receiving treatment in a modern health centre or seeing your children study in bright classrooms is no longer a dream in Kasaï province, in the centre of the DRC. Today, it’s real life. In the past, life in Kasaï was subject to painful compromises: "We used to drink water that was full of germs, which caused a lot of suffering for all of us," recalls Papa Mutombo Tambwe, who proudly now talks of the new water supply installed in Tshilenge, eastern Kasaï. Back then, health centres little more than simple huts that were far from reassuring, but nevertheless vital. "Our health centre in Tshibumba was just a small building made of earth and straw," says Mulanga Ntambwe. Despite the discomfort, villagers went there because they had no better facilities available. Bad roads in Tshikapa made safe, fast transport impossible. Katoy health centre in Kwango province Change began more than 10 years ago, when the Proje...

  Supported by the African Development Fund’s Climate Action Window, the project will improve rice seed availability for 11,000 farmers in 13 West African countries. The Board of Directors of  the African Development Fund  (ADF), the concessional funding window of the African Development Bank Group, on 17 July 2025 approved a $9.44 million grant for the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to strengthen the climate resilience of rice value chains across West Africa. Funded through ADF’s  Climate Action Window , the project will support rice producers and processors in 13 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The initiative, part of the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), and specifically its adaptation component (REWARD-Adaptation), aims to scale up the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies througho...