Accra, Dec. 15, GNA – The governments of the United Kingdom and Ghana are co-hosting the pledging meeting for the 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF-17) in London from December 15 to 16, bringing together donor countries to support Africa’s next chapter of growth.
Established in 1972 as the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group, the Fund is replenished every three years. Over the past five decades, it has played a pivotal role in improving the lives of tens of millions across 37 low-income African countries, even as the continent faces mounting climate, economic and security challenges.
Expectations are high that ADF-17 will see an increase in the number of contributing African countries, signalling stronger ownership of the continent’s development agenda and growing confidence in the Fund as a driver of inclusive growth. Particularly encouraging is the interest from countries that have previously benefited from ADF support.
The new financing cycle presents an opportunity for the Bank Group to deploy innovative instruments and forge expanded partnerships with the private sector – critical steps to mobilise additional resources at a time when global aid flows are tightening.
Among the innovations, ADF-17 is expected to introduce the Market Borrowing Option (MBO), a mechanism that will enable the Fund to raise financing from capital markets.
The policy framework for operationalising the MBO during this cycle is already underway.
ADF-17 marks a strategic phase for the African Development Bank Group under Dr Sidi Ould Tah, who assumed office as its ninth President in September 2025. His Four Cardinal Points (4CPs) agenda seeks to mobilise greater capital, reform Africa’s financial architecture, harness demographic potential, and accelerate climate-resilient infrastructure. Within this framework, the African Development Fund remains indispensable to ensure that Africa’s most vulnerable countries are not left behind.
For Africa and its 1.5 billion people, the London meeting represents a defining moment for global partners to match Africa’s ambition with commensurate resources, fuelling a new era of opportunity rooted in the continent’s human capital, energy potential, mineral wealth and vast agricultural land.
GNA
Christian Akorlie