Africa Forward: AFD Group and its partners announce new initiatives for sustainable growth in Africa

• The blue economy

AFD, Proparco and BOAD strengthen their partnership for sustainable development in West Africa
The West African Development Bank (BOAD), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and Proparco are signing new agreements to strengthen the financing of sustainable development projects in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries.

This cooperation aims in particular to support investments in climate action, a sustainable blue economy, energy efficiency, and resilience to climate and environmental risks.

The signed agreements will enable BOAD to mobilize greater financing to support projects led by states and economic actors in the region, through new financing mechanisms established with AFD and Proparco. They also reflect the shared commitment of BOAD, AFD, and Proparco to strengthen their strategic partnership in support of development priorities in West Africa.

•   Energy

AFD, EIB Global and EBRD mobilize €173 million to improve electricity access in Benin
During the Africa Forward Summit, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Investment Bank (EIB Global), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), alongside the European Union, are signing a joint declaration around the PEDER+ project. Coordinated by AFD, this financing aims to improve electricity access for 600,000 people – or 4% of Benin’s population.

Supported by the European Union under the Global Gateway initiative, the project also falls within the broader Mission 300 initiative, led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, to accelerate electricity access for 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

With a total budget of €173 million, PEDER+ is expected to deliver 120,000 new connections and improve electricity access in 750 localities, through the construction or rehabilitation of approximately 4,500 kilometers of lines.
The project will strengthen and extend medium and low-voltage networks in the Mono, Couffo, and Borgou departments, where electricity access remains limited. It thus contributes directly to Benin’s National Electrification Strategy, which aims for universal electricity access by 2030.

• Sport

AFD Group reaches its €500 M investment target in sport and development ahead of time
In line with commitments made by France since 2017, and collectively reinforced at the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit in Paris in 2024, AFD Group invested €500 million between 2018 and 2026 in projects combining sport and development across Africa. This target, initially set for 2030, has been reached four years ahead of schedule. In total, more than 10 million young people have directly benefited from these initiatives in education, inclusion, health, and employment.

Furthermore, as part of the sport segment of the Africa Forward Summit, AFD Group also contributed – alongside NBA Africa – to the renovation of the basketball courts at the University of Nairobi through the Basketball Experience project.

• Digital

COPAR: A partnership between AFD and IRD to develop an HPC network for research and innovation in sustainable development
AFD Group and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) have signed a new partnership to support the emergence of a pan-African and European high-performance computing (HPC) network dedicated to sustainable development. The initiative aims to help structure a Euro-African scientific and digital ecosystem by strengthening research, training, and innovation capacities around strategic issues such as climate modeling, health, agriculture, and the sustainable management of natural resources.

The partnership will finance an initial seed phase of the network, bringing together several African universities and research centers, with the ambition of fostering shared infrastructure, strengthening skills development, and supporting high-level scientific collaboration between Africa and Europe.

Digital Africa: Nairobi hosts an Africa–Europe dialogue on sovereign artificial intelligence
Alongside the Africa Forward Summit, the Government of Kenya, the Africa-Europe Foundation, Digital Africa, and AFD Group are organizing a high-level dialogue on the future of sovereign and inclusive artificial intelligence in Africa. Bringing together public decision-makers, international institutions, researchers and private sector actors, this event aims to strengthen Africa–Europe cooperation around three priorities: talent and training, infrastructure and data, and AI governance.

During the session, AFD Group will present several key initiatives, including the AI Investment Potential Index (AIIPI) and the launch of the first phase of a pan-African HPC network to support research and innovation in artificial intelligence on the continent. According to AFD Group, “Africa must be a co-author of the rules and uses of global artificial intelligence.”

•   African entrepreneurship 

Choose Africa: a French initiative to accelerate the growth and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa
Choose Africa, led by Proparco from 2018 to 2022, provided nearly €3.5 billion in financing to more than 40,000 businesses, and created or maintained over 2 million direct and indirect jobs across the continent. A second phase, Choose Africa 2, with three components, was launched in 2023. In addition to the activities launched under Phase 1, this new phase introduces two additional components. The first aims to improve access to credit for very small and medium-sized enterprises while strengthening public support mechanisms through AFD, Expertise France, and Bpifrance. The second supports French companies seeking to expand their activities in Africa through Bpifrance.

The Africa Forward Summit will also be an opportunity to present the first entrepreneurs benefiting from Choose Africa 2, particularly in Benin. Among them is a Beninese company specializing in the production and distribution of construction and road infrastructure materials, including cement and ceramic tiles, paving stones, and plaster. Also featured is Origine Terre, a natural cosmetics company specializing in products designed for Black skin and hair.  

Press contact:
Sophie Noel / noels@afd.fr / +33 6 48 97 79 30

About AFD Group:

AFD Group finances and drives the transition to a fairer, safer and more resilient world, working with its partners to support communities all over the world. Drawing on the complementary strengths of its entities – Agence Française de Développement for public financing, Proparco for responsible private investment, and Expertise France for technical expertise – the Group is ideally positioned to meet all sustainable development challenges. Working in over 160 countries, including France’s Overseas Territories and Departments, the Group adapts its operations to the realities on the ground, actively supporting local initiatives. With over 4,000 projects, whose objectives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AFD Group works on behalf of the French people, together with all stakeholders committed to economic development and the preservation of common goods: climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality and global health. Working by your side, toward a world in common.