Global Black Voices: News from around the World
- Africa showed resilience with growth reaching 4.2 percent despite slower global growth and rising climate and debt pressures.
- African Development Bank approved over $11 billion and disbursed a record $7.1 billion, supporting 200 projects in 50 countries.
- 1.5 million gained electricity; 6.9 million farmers adopted climate-resilient technologies; 8.1 million gained improved transport access.
- Dr Sidi Ould Tah elected president and introduced the Four Cardinal Points framework to unlock capital, strengthen financial systems, support youth, and invest in infrastructure.
The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has released its 2025 Annual Report, showcasing another year of strong development results and reaffirming its commitment to advancing a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and integrated Africa.
Despite a challenging global environment marked by slower growth, tighter financial conditions, and increasing climate and debt pressures, Africa continued to demonstrate remarkable resilience in 2025, with growth reaching 4.2 percent and many African economies ranking among the fastest growing in the world.
Beyond the numbers, the report tells a deeper story: the story of Africa’s people – especially its young people – creating, building, and redefining the future across the continent.
In 2025, the Bank delivered at scale, approving more than $11 billion in financing and reaching a record $7.1 billion in disbursements, supporting 200 projects across 50 countries.
These investments translated into tangible results for millions of Africans:
- 1.5 million people gained access to electricity, powering homes, schools, farms, and businesses.
- 6.9 million farmers adopted climate-resilient technologies, strengthening food security and livelihoods.
- 8.1 million people gained improved access to transport, connecting them to jobs, markets, and opportunity.
- Thousands of entrepreneurs – including many women and young people – gained access to finance to grow their businesses and unlock economic opportunity.
New Strategic Four Cardinal Points Compass to foster faster, more responsive operations
The year also marked a significant leadership transition for the institution with the election of Dr Sidi Ould Tah as ninth president of the Bank Group, ushering in a renewed focus on delivery, impact, and results.
The report also outlines how the Bank is transforming the way it works – becoming faster, more effective, and more responsive to the priorities and ambitions of its regional member countries.
Dr Ould Tah has outlines a new strategic framework – the Four Cardinal Points – designed to accelerate implementation of the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy with sharper focus and greater ambition. The framework prioritizes unlocking Africa’s capital, strengthening financial systems, creating opportunities for young people, and investing in resilient infrastructure and competitive value chains.
In the report’s foreword, Dr Ould Tah emphasized the Bank’s long-term vision for the continent:
“This report documents what the Bank achieved in 2025. What it does not yet capture is what we will build together from here. A continent where capital flows to where it is needed most. Where African financial institutions anchor their own economies. Where a young person can access the financing, training, and markets to turn ambition into prosperity. Where infrastructure connects people, goods, and ideas across borders. That is the Africa we are working to build. The African Development Bank Group will not waver in that mission.”
Download the Annual Report Highlights and full report here (https://apo-opa.co/3PtujSI) to discover how the African Development Bank Group is helping shape Africa’s future – driven by its people and powered by its youth.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact:
Amba Mpoke-Bigg
Communication and External Relations Department
Email: media@afdb.org
Nancy Beke:
Principal Policy and Strategy Officer
Read the full story from the original publication
