Africa’s key development institutions; AfDB, AFC, and Afreximbank operate at scale but remain heavily dependent on external capital. Non-African shareholders account for about 40% of AfDB voting power, while AFC and Afreximbank rely significantly on international bond markets and global institutional investors. As a result, they are African-led but not yet primarily Africa-funded, limiting their independent financing capacity.
Despite this, they are central to financing Africa’s development by mobilising capital and de-risking infrastructure and trade.
The AfDB plays a catalytic role through platforms like the Africa Investment Forum, which generated $29.2 billion in deals in 2024 and $15.3 billion in 2025. AFC directly finances infrastructure, raising over $900 million in 2025 through Samurai and Shariah facilities and co-launching a $1.5 billion infrastructure fund with AUDA-NEPAD. Afreximbank anchors trade finance, supporting systems like PAPSS, managing the $10 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, and enabling growth in intra-African trade.
Together, these institutions are expanding Africa’s financial architecture by improving liquidity, reducing risk, and enabling cross-border investment and trade.