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

• The blue economy 

AFD and the Aga Khan Development Network strengthen their partnership in Tanzania 
At the Africa Forward summit, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), alongside representatives of the Ismaili Imamat and the French government, signed a memorandum of understanding in support of Tanzania to promote the sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems and support the development of regenerative agriculture.

This partnership, part of the Indian Ocean Coastal Regeneration Initiative (IOCRI), aims to strengthen climate resilience, preserve natural resources and improve living conditions for Tanzanian coastal communities.The project dedicated to marine and coastal ecosystems could mobilise a provisional budget of €38.5 million, comprising a €30 million sovereign loan from AFD to the Tanzanian government and a potential grant of €8.5 million from the Aga Khan Foundation.

This signing illustrates the strengthening of the historic partnership between the AFD Group and the AKDN, which has been involved in development projects in East Africa and Asia for over thirty-five years. 

The AFD Group contributes to the decarbonisation of the maritime and port sector, the protection of African coastlines and the development of innovative financing for the blue economy. Indeed, the AFD Group has mobilised over €1.5 billion in financing over the last ten years to support the sustainability of the maritime sector in Africa, notably through projects involving port greening, the electrification of equipment, the deployment of renewable energy and the strengthening of coastal infrastructure resilience.

• Sustainable agriculture

African public banks and their partners are committed to sustainable, resilient and inclusive agricultural financing in Africa
Under the auspices of the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), numerous African public development banks (including the Agricultural Finance Corporation Kenya, the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the Agricultural Bank of Senegal, Crédit Agricole du Maroc and the African Guarantee and Cooperation Fund – FAGACE) have signed a joint declaration to strengthen their financing in support of sustainable, resilient and inclusive African agriculture. This declaration is supported by AFD, IFAD and the Coalition of Public Development Banks for Green and Inclusive Food Systems.

In the dairy sector, a Continental Local Milk Coalition has been officially launched by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, with the support of numerous public and private partners such as AFD, IFAD and the Danone Group. Drawing inspiration from ECOWAS’s “Local Milk Offensive” strategy – which aims to double local milk production and achieve 25% incorporation into the agri-food industry by 2030 – this coalition is making concrete commitments regarding the structuring of supply chains, investment in collection and processing infrastructure, and the promotion of quality labels. In Tanzania, AFD and IFAD have signed a memorandum of understanding on a programme to support the entire dairy value chain, with a particular focus on small-scale producers and women.

Finally, AFD, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, ZEP-Re and ACRE Africa have announced a partnership combining parametric climate insurance, digital tools and credit risk analysis to improve smallholders’ access to financial services tailored to large-scale climate risks. The grant for this partnership amounts to €800,000.

•  Partnerships with the French companies Artelia, CCEF, Meridiam, Mobilitas and Danone

The AFD Group and the MOBILITAS Group (an international group specialising in document management, data protection and mobility services) are strengthening their cooperation on data governance and heritage enhancement,
Their strategic partnership aims to support partner countries in their digital transformations, particularly in Africa and Asia, with initial initiatives to be launched in Benin.
This agreement reflects a shared commitment to making digital technology, archiving, data protection and data sovereignty a key focus for governance, heritage enhancement and development in partner countries.
This partnership builds on a collaboration that began in 2014, marked by three funding agreements granted by Proparco to support the development of the MOBILITAS Group in Africa, particularly in the fields of mobility and archiving.

The partnership is based on several key areas:

• Data sovereignty and protection
• Restoration, digitisation and promotion of heritage;
• Roll-out of joint initiatives in Africa and Asia, including the development of pilot projects.

The AFD Group and Artelia join forces to enhance the sustainability of infrastructure in partner countries
The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group and Artelia, a French engineering group specialising in infrastructure, water, energy, mobility and urban development, have announced their first strategic partnership agreement.

This partnership aims to enhance the quality, sustainability and positive impact of infrastructure and service projects financed by the AFD Group in its areas of operation, particularly in Africa, by combining technical expertise with long-term financing.

In particular, it will enable the sharing of lessons learnt and the promotion of common technical standards.

The partnership draws on Artelia’s expertise in engineering and consultancy, and on the AFD Group’s role in financing and supporting projects, to strengthen project preparation at an early stage, improve their bankability and ensure their alignment with international standards on sustainability and impact.

The AFD Group and the French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCEF) announce a renewed alliance in support of international development and French businesses
The Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), through its entities AFD, Proparco and Expertise France, and the French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCEF), a network of business leaders and economic experts present in over 140 countries, announce the signing of a strategic partnership. This agreement aims to structure and strengthen public-private dialogue, support the internationalisation of French businesses and underpin sustainable transitions in emerging countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Through this partnership, the AFD Group and the CCE reaffirm their shared commitment to a more sustainable, inclusive and forward-looking global economy, whilst actively supporting the international presence and competitiveness of French companies.

Proparco and Meridiam announce a strategic partnership for sustainable infrastructure
Their first strategic partnership agreement marks a significant step in strengthening cooperation between Proparco and a mission-driven company committed to the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure.
The agreement will commit the two institutions to:

• exchanges of expertise and human resources;
• joint forward-looking discussions on development issues and societal and environmental challenges;
• joint initiatives to support sustainable infrastructure projects in their shared areas of operation.

Danone, a French multinational, and the AFD Group have signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at strengthening their cooperation on sustainable development, the agricultural and dairy sectors, nutrition, recycling and access to water.

• Health

Proparco is investing $20 million to support the South African laboratory Biovac, to expand and strengthen local production capacity for essential vaccines (polio, meningitis, pneumonia and cholera), which will help to improve public health security across the continent and prevent and combat epidemics.

Expertise France and Ginger International, a member of the French Healthcare network, have announced a partnership aimed at strengthening pharmaceutical sovereignty in Kenya and Uganda. 
Made possible by a €700,000 grant from AFD, this initiative harnesses French industrial expertise to support the development of local producers, thereby helping to reduce these countries’ dependence on pharmaceutical imports.
Achieving health sovereignty requires the development of a sustainable local pharmaceutical production sector that complies with international standards. The African Union has set itself the specific target of producing 60% of Africa’s vaccine requirements by 2040, a goal supported by the AFD Group. AFD is contributing to this by dedicating 75% of its investments in the health sector to the African continent and is active across the entire value chain.

• Energy transition 

AFD and Transnet, the South African state-owned enterprise responsible for rail and port infrastructure, have signed a €300 million non-sovereign loan in the form of results-based financing to support the company’s freight decarbonisation and sustainable transition programme. This financing forms part of the partnership for a Just Energy Transition (JET-P) in South Africa. It aims to strengthen Transnet’s operational performance and institutional sustainability whilst contributing to the decarbonisation of freight transport in the country. The disbursement of the loan is linked to the achievement of around ten performance targets structured around three priorities:

•  a modal shift from road to rail through the modernisation of rail and port infrastructure;
•  the reduction of emissions from rail and port operations through the development of renewable energy and the adoption of a climate roadmap;

• the strengthening of Transnet’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) capabilities.

   

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.