The President of the African Development Bank Group, Sidi Ould Tah, who was leading his first African Development Fund negotiations, secured exceptional support to replenish the Fund's resources and advance its development program based on the Four Pillars. PHOTO ;Courtesy
Private sector convening marked a renewed push to mobilise private capital for Africa as the African Development Bank Group and the Government of the United Kingdom gathered global investors in London.
The inaugural Africa Private Capital Mobilisation Day, held on 17 December at Lancaster House, brought together more than 150 senior decision-makers from private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurers, philanthropies, development finance institutions, and export credit agencies.
The meeting followed the successful conclusion of the 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF-17), which mobilised US$11 billion to support Africa’s most vulnerable countries, and sought to build momentum towards scaling private and impact-oriented capital for the continent’s development.
The gathering signalled a shift from dialogue to execution, as participants explored practical pathways for deploying capital at scale across African markets.
The event was hosted by the African Development Bank Group in partnership with UK government institutions, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Export Finance, and British International Investment.
The collaboration reflected a shared ambition to reposition private capital as a central pillar of Africa’s development financing architecture.
Opening the convening, African Development Bank Group President Dr Sidi Ould Tah described the meeting as a natural continuation of the ADF-17 replenishment process and a decisive step towards closing Africa’s estimated US$402 billion annual development financing gap.
“We will build on recent engagements with development finance institutions, export credit agencies, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurers, and philanthropic partners to advance concrete initiatives under our vision for a New African Financial Architecture,” Dr Ould Tah said.
The convening aligned with President Ould Tah’s Four Cardinal Points vision, which focuses on unlocking Africa’s capital potential, strengthening financial sovereignty, transforming demographic growth into a development dividend, and delivering resilient infrastructure and value chains.
The framework reflects a broader shift from aid-dependent models towards sustainable, investment-led development.
UK Minister for Development Jenny Chapman said hosting the inaugural event in London recognised the City of London’s role as a global centre for development and impact finance.
“We were delighted that President Ould Tah decided to hold the first Private Capital Mobilisation Day here in London, recognising the critical role of the City of London in mobilising investment for Africa,” Chapman said.
“The UK’s shifting role from donor to investor will support countries that want to grow their economies and ultimately exit the need for aid.”
Discussions during the event focused on reshaping perceptions of risk that continue to constrain capital flows into African economies.
New analysis from the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database, presented by the Center for Global Development, showed that long-term lending to African borrowers has historically been significantly less risky than commonly perceived, challenging long-held assumptions among institutional investors.
Sector-focused sessions highlighted healthcare and aviation as priority areas for social and blended finance, given their role in strengthening economic resilience, productivity, and regional integration.
Participants were introduced to two flagship initiatives championed by the African Development Bank Group and its partners.
The Africa Medicines and Equipment Facility, developed in partnership with the Gates Foundation, was presented as a mechanism to provide African countries with predictable, timely, and affordable financing to secure essential medicines and medical equipment, strengthening health systems and access to care.
The Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme for Africa, supported by a dedicated blended-finance facility, aims to modernise Africa’s aviation ecosystem, covering airports, airlines, and enabling services critical to trade, tourism, and regional connectivity.
In parallel, President Ould Tah convened a closed-door roundtable with senior executives from approximately 30 leading institutional investors to explore the launch of an Africa-focused Private Sector Innovation Lab.
The proposed platform would serve as a space to co-create new financing instruments, partnership models, and risk-sharing solutions tailored to African markets.
The outcomes of the Africa Private Capital Mobilisation Day were captured in the London Communiqué, outlining commitments by the African Development Bank Group and its partners to scale private and social investment for Africa.
Further work will focus on defining priority actions and implementation pathways to translate ambition into scalable capital mobilisation and effective risk-mitigation solutions.
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