At the 2025 Africa Investment Forum currently underway in Rabat, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Sidi Ould Tah, urged a strategic rethinking of the financing of Africa’s development, highlighting the limitations of public sector resources in meeting the continent’s growing infrastructure and economic needs. In his inaugural remarks on Tuesday 26 November, Dr Ould Tah underlined the imperative for large-scale mobilisation of private capital and innovation-driven financial mechanisms to unlock Africa’s full development potential.
The Forum, convened under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, gathers more than 2,500 stakeholders from across the continent and globally. Delegates include high-ranking government officials, investors, multilateral financial institutions and private sector leaders. The event, themed Bridging the Gap: Mobilising Private Capital to Unlock Africa’s Full Potential, reflects an evolving understanding that Africa’s development must be underpinned by resilient, value-generating partnerships.
Dr Ould Tah articulated four strategic imperatives guiding the Bank’s investment strategy. Central to this is the ambitious drive to multiply capital impact through innovative financial instruments that can leverage every dollar invested by a factor of ten or more. This strategy is designed to attract a broader spectrum of private sector actors and unlock capital at scale.
In addition, Dr Ould Tah called for a continental overhaul of Africa’s financial architecture, advocating for a synchronised structure operating across national, regional and continental levels. This approach aims to increase institutional coordination, reduce fragmentation and strengthen financial systems tailored to Africa’s unique economic landscape.
A third focus of the Bank’s strategy is the continent’s demographic dynamism. Africa is projected to account for one in four people globally by 2050. Yet, this demographic potential remains unrealised. Dr Ould Tah emphasised that unlocking this latent power hinges on targeted investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), digital education, youth entrepreneurship and gender-inclusive financial systems.
The Bank’s fourth pillar is centred on enhancing Africa’s industrial and resource beneficiation capabilities through infrastructure that not only connects but adds value. Dr Ould Tah asserted that African infrastructure must move beyond enabling raw material exports to supporting industries that process and refine resources within the continent.
Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, reiterated the country’s commitment to creating an environment conducive to private investment. She revealed plans for Morocco to raise private sector investment to two thirds of its total national investment by 2035 through structural reforms. These include regulatory modernisation, industrial policy adaptation and the enhancement of business ecosystems.
Minister Alaoui highlighted the broader financing gap facing the continent. Africa requires an estimated 1.3 trillion US dollars annually to realise its development targets. She underscored the urgency of expanding cooperation among governments, development finance institutions and private capital providers. Mechanisms such as blended finance, coordinated platforms and risk-sharing facilities were described as increasingly indispensable.
This year’s edition of the Forum features 41 transformative projects, 39 of which are deemed investment ready. The pipeline spans critical sectors such as energy, transport, agribusiness, urban development, mining and the digital economy. Renewable energy has emerged as a strategic focus, with 15 projects aligning with Africa’s decarbonisation goals and energy transition agenda.
Infrastructure continues to dominate investment value, with flagship projects including Ethiopia’s Bishoftu International Airport and various regional trade corridors aimed at enhancing mobility and industrial integration. The AfDB estimates Africa’s infrastructure financing needs between 130 billion and 170 billion US dollars annually, far surpassing available public budgets.
Since its inception in 2018, the Africa Investment Forum has emerged as a unique pan African platform that advances investment-ready projects, accelerates deals and facilitates financial closure. To date, the Forum has generated over 225 billion US dollars in investment interest, with 32 billion US dollars having reached closure.
The Forum was founded by the AfDB in partnership with institutions including the African Export Import Bank, Africa50, the Africa Finance Corporation, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Trade and Development Bank and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. These founding partners are actively engaged in high-level negotiations aimed at bringing complex deals to conclusion.
The number of private sponsors has doubled this year to 33, signalling growing confidence in the Forum’s model and its ability to deliver tangible results. Participants have underscored the value of the Forum in enabling capital providers to shape partnerships, assess risks, and engage directly in structured negotiations with policymakers and project developers.
Dr Ould Tah, who assumed the presidency of the AfDB in September 2025 following his election with over 76 percent shareholder support, brings decades of experience in African and global economic institutions. His prior tenure as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa saw the transformation of the Bank into a highly rated development finance institution.
Participants at the Forum reaffirmed that the alignment of political will, investment readiness and capital availability is crucial for realising the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum’s unique role in reducing transaction costs and aggregating capital is seen as vital in transforming Africa’s development landscape.
The gathering in Rabat underscores a broader continental shift toward African-led development narratives that place the continent’s economic agency at the centre. By prioritising sustainable growth, inclusive financing, and infrastructure that supports value addition, the Forum represents a move away from extractive models and towards homegrown pathways to prosperity.
