Taiwo Hassan 
The Arab Coordination Group (ACG) and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) have launched a new phase of their partnership aimed at scaling co-financing, mobilising private capital, and accelerating Africa’s economic transformation.
The high-level consultation convened at the AfDB’s headquarters in Abidjan, Cote D’ Ivoire established a common platform to move from fragmented cooperation toward programmatic, largescale co-investment aligned with the continent’s economic development priorities.
The consultation took place at a time when Africa faces a widening development financing gap and an urgent need to mobilise capital at scale for energy access, climate resilience, food security, regional integration, and private-sector-led growth.
It also reflected the collective ambition of the ACG’s members to expand their engagement with Africa, deployed in a more coordinated and catalytic manner.
From Cooperation to Co-Investment at Scale Discussions focused on how the ACG and the AfDB can jointly anchor Arab African co-financing—bringing together their respective balance sheets, long-term and counter-cyclical financing capacities, sectoral expertise, and country platforms—to mobilise larger, more coordinated public and private investment in support of Africa’s development investment priorities.
Participants explored concrete pathways to enhance joint project preparation, harmonise financing approaches, strengthen policy dialogue, leverage comparative advantages, and supporting country-led development agendas, while ensuring that investments delivered measurable impact and long-term resilience.
