The Gulf of Guinea is a demographic and economic heavyweight on the continent. By 2050, the region will account for 25% of the African population at a time when Africa will be home to 50% of the world’s youth. As the point of entry to the Sahel and the Lake Chad region, the Gulf of Guinea is at once a gateway, a place of reception and a space for exchanges. This “vertical” Sahel, which unites coastal and Sahelian countries, is also illustrated through the rise of shared vulnerabilities.
Based in Abidjan, the AFD Gulf of Guinea Regional Office covers Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo. Its mission is to implement the Group’s strategy in the Gulf of Guinea, working with teams from AFD, Proparco (a subsidiary which focuses on the private sector) and Expertise France, which provides technical cooperation.
The strategy sets out the AFD Group’s priorities aimed at building momentum towards prosperity in the Gulf of Guinea and addressing its areas of vulnerability. The Group will focus on supporting the economic and social integration of youth in this West African region, promoting demographic and civic transition and establishing sustainable, value-creating urban spaces. It will also provide for an integrated response to the risks of instability in the border areas of the Sahel and Lake Chad.