Africa and Arab Development Institutions Strengthen Strategic Partnership

Abidjan, 13 January 2026 – The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the institutions of the Arab Coordination Group (ACG) have issued a joint declaration to formalize a more structured and strategic partnership aimed at supporting resilient, inclusive, and sustainable development in Africa.

The declaration reaffirms the long-standing cooperation between the Arab world and Africa, highlighting decades of support through concessional and non-concessional financing. It builds on previous agreements, including the outcomes of the Arab-African Summit in Riyadh (November 2023) and the ACG Jubilee, as well as the strategic frameworks of both AfDB and ACG institutions.

The Parties acknowledged the scale and complexity of Africa’s development challenges, including debt sustainability, economic and external shocks, fragility, food and energy security, and job creation, particularly for youth and women. They emphasized the need to move beyond fragmented cooperation toward a coordinated, impact-oriented partnership.

Shared Vision and Principles

The AfDB and ACG institutions reaffirm a shared vision of an economically resilient Africa, financially sustainable and better integrated into regional and global value chains. Cooperation will be guided by key principles, including alignment with national priorities and regional initiatives such as Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), complementarity, results and impact orientation, transparency, knowledge sharing, and flexibility.

Priority Areas of Cooperation

The joint declaration identifies several strategic areas of cooperation:

1. Co-financing and Joint Operations – Strengthening collaboration on development operations, including joint and parallel financing, particularly in sectors critical to Africa’s structural transformation.
2. Financial Architecture and Capital Mobilisation – Coordinating innovative financing approaches and risk-sharing mechanisms while maintaining debt sustainability.
3. Private Sector Development, SMEs, and Job Creation – Supporting private investment, entrepreneurship, and employment for youth and women.
4. Human Capital, Knowledge, and Institutional Cooperation – Promoting knowledge exchange, training, and joint analytical work.
5. Resilience and Fragility – Enhancing countries’ capacity to withstand economic, financial, and external shocks, especially in fragile contexts.

Through this declaration, the Parties commit to elevating their partnership to a strategic level, ensuring mutual respect and coordinated efforts to support sustainable development across Africa.

The declaration was signed in Abidjan by key representatives of the AfDB and ACG institutions, including Dr. Sidi Ould Tah (AfDB President) and senior officials from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Arab Gulf Program for Development, Islamic Development Bank, Kuwait Fund for Economic Development, OPEC Fund, and the Saudi Fund for Development.