The Chief Executive Officer of Africa50, Alain Ebobissé and the President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Serge Ekué, announced today a partnership to work together to mobilize institutional investor capital into African infrastructure, and to identify projects to co-finance.
As part of this partnership, the two entities renewed their commitment to collaborate for the financing and development of bankable projects, including climate-resilient infrastructure, to support sustainable growth and the transition of African countries towards Net-Zero.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group Annual Meetings in Egypt, themed ‘Mobilizing Private Sector Financing for Climate and Green Growth in Africa’. In addition, this collaboration is aimed at helping bridge the large infrastructure financing gap in Africa, through the delivery of timely and efficient financing to meet the continents’ growing development needs.
On the occasion of the announcement, Alain Ebobissé, CEO, Africa50 said, “Africa50 is pleased to join forces with BOAD to drive transformative projects in Africa. This is the kind of African-led collaboration that is critical to accelerate inclusive growth, regional integration, and climate-resilient infrastructure development. We are pleased to contribute with our extensive expertise in project development and financing, to catalyze more funding from the private sector and institutional investors in Africa and globally. Together, we will help scale up and speed up projects that will provide new opportunities for African people”.
Africa50 and BOAD will work to identify a pipeline of projects that they would consider for financing and collaborate in the implementation of the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA) – an initiative to develop a pipeline of climate-resilient green infrastructure, which was launched at COP27 by the African Union, the African Development Bank, and Africa50 together with global partners.
Serge Ekué, President, West African Development Bank (BOAD) commented, “Access to energy remains crucial to the inclusive and sustainable development of the WAEMU region. Indeed, nearly half of the African population (48%) lacks access to power. Therefore, the strategic partnership between BOAD and Africa50 will pave the way for innovative and transformative projects, through the financing of green infrastructure, across the region”.
