African Development Bank Hits Record $11 Billion in New Investments
The African Development Bank Group on Tuesday announced a record-breaking $11 billion in new operations for 2024, its highest ever. This includes $5.5 billion dedicated to climate finance, underscoring its pivotal role in catalyzing inclusive growth and resilience across Africa.
The announcement came within the Bank’s Annual Development Effectiveness Review (ADER) for 2025, a comprehensive results report assessing its impact in supporting development across the African continent over the past year.
In a global context marked by global economic turbulence, geopolitical tension, rising conflict and growing climate pressures, Africa continues to demonstrate notable resilience. The 2025 ADER demonstrates the Bank’s response to these challenges and its work with countries to accelerate inclusive growth, strengthen resilience, and drive long-term development.
The report was released during the Group’s 2025 Annual Meetings, taking place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The report presents key achievements under the strategic priorities for driving Africa’s transformation known as the High 5s: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. This year’s ADER report reflects the sharper focus of the Bank’s new Results Management Framework (2024–2033), with a streamlined set of indicators, covering key cross-cutting areas of youth empowerment, gender equality, economic governance, climate action, and resilience.
Titled “Supporting Africa’s resilience and driving transformation,” it highlights results achieved in 2024 – marked as the first year of implementation of the Bank’s new Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033). It is also the first assessment under the new results Management Framework (RMF).
The report reveals some key results from 2024:
- 14 million people gained access to improved healthcare, while 5 million obtained clean water and 260,000 direct jobs were created.
- 3.5 million people gained improved access to transport, supporting trade corridors and regional integration under the African Continental Free TA.
- Nearly 1 million people benefited from electricity access and adding more than 1GW of generation capacity, mostly from renewable energy sources.
- 1.5 million farmers accessed climate-smart technologies, and 25,000 agribusinesses received support, reinforcing food security.
“Africa’s potential is boundless, but realising the opportunities requires strategic investments at scale,” said Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group. “In a world confronting its own challenges, this is the moment for African institutions like the Bank to take the lead in driving the continent’s transformation.”
About the Annual Development Effectiveness Review (ADER)
The ADER is the Bank’s flagship results report, serving as a key accountability and performance tool. It assesses the Bank’s contribution to Africa’s development against the High 5s and cross-cutting priorities such as resilience, fragility, governance, gender, climate, and youth.
