Brazzaville, May 29, 2026 — The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have launched a new initiative designed to attract private sector investment into Africa’s underserved and high-risk economies.
The framework, known as the Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) Roadmap for Africa, was presented during the ongoing 2026 AfDB Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
The programme is intended to direct both commercial and catalytic capital toward frontier and transition economies where financing gaps remain significant. Pilot implementation has already begun in Liberia, Somalia, Mozambique and Djibouti.
AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah, represented by Senior Vice President Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, said the continent must move away from aid dependence and embrace an investment-driven development model.
He noted that the new roadmap is expected to reposition development finance as an enabler of private capital rather than a replacement for it.
The Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, Sheba Crocker, said the initiative aims to strengthen investment flows into vulnerable communities while promoting long-term economic stability.
She added that the approach is designed to replace fragmented interventions with more coordinated and sustainable investment strategies.
Stakeholders at the event highlighted that Africa faces an annual financing shortfall estimated at about $400 billion.
They also observed that despite accounting for 17 per cent of the global population, the continent receives only about 3.5 per cent of global foreign direct investment.
During a panel session, Somalia’s Finance Minister, Bihi Egeh, stressed the need for stronger financial inclusion policies and mechanisms that reduce investment risks in fragile economies.
Other speakers emphasised regulatory reforms, improved digital infrastructure and increased concessional financing as key steps to unlocking private capital for frontier markets.
The roadmap aligns with AfDB’s New African Financial Architecture for Development and the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative.
The 2026 AfDB Annual Meetings, which began on May 25 in Brazzaville, are scheduled to conclude on May 29.