Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, August 31, 2026 – The Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) will convene the CEO Forum of African DFIs 2026 from November 4 to 6, 2026, in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho, hosted by the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC). The Forum will bring together chief executive officers and senior leaders of African Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), regulators, policymakers, development partners, and financial sector stakeholders to discuss the future of African development finance and the resilience of institutions charged with driving the continent’s transformation agenda.
The Forum will be held on the theme “Resilient DFIs for Stronger African Economies: Governance, Standards, Regulation, and Development Impact.” It will examine how African DFIs can strengthen institutional resilience, improve governance and regulatory compliance, mobilize resources at scale, and deepen development impact to support sustainable economic growth across the continent.
The Forum takes place at a pivotal moment for Africa’s development finance ecosystem. African economies continue to face significant financing challenges arising from infrastructure deficits, climate change, geopolitical uncertainties, constrained fiscal space, and declining concessional resources. Against this backdrop, DFIs are increasingly expected to mobilize long-term capital, support economic resilience, finance strategic sectors, and crowd in private investment. The Forum will therefore explore practical strategies to strengthen African DFIs as resilient, well-governed, and investment-ready institutions capable of delivering development impact at scale.
A key focus of discussions will be the role of DFIs within the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), an initiative championed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to mobilize African institutional capital through enhanced coordination, shared-risk mechanisms, and deeper capital markets. Participants will examine how stronger governance, capitalization, risk management, regulatory oversight, and impact measurement can position DFIs to play a central role in mobilizing African capital for Africa’s development priorities.
A key focus of the discussion will be strengthening African DFIs through standards and regulatory frameworks, such as the AADFI Prudential Standards, Guidelines and Rating System (PSGRS). Importantly, the Forum will feature the presentation of the 2026 PSGRS Peer Review and Rating Report and the unveiling of the revised PSGRS Version 3.0, reinforcing AADFI’s commitment to promoting sound governance, prudential management, accountability, and sustainability across African DFIs.
The Forum will culminate in the adoption of the CEO Forum 2026 Compact on Resilient African DFIs, a landmark statement of shared commitments by African DFI leaders to provide a common framework for collective action by African DFIs, reinforcing their role as trusted institutions capable of mobilizing capital, crowding in private investment, and supporting the implementation of the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD).
Registration for the CEO Forum of African DFIs 2026 is open through the link: https://adfi-ci.org/ceo-forum-of-african-dfis-2026-registration/.
About AADFI
The Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) is the continental umbrella organization of African Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), established in 1975 under the auspices of the African Development Bank and headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. AADFI brings together national, regional, and multilateral DFIs and financial institutions across Africa to promote cooperation, institutional strengthening, good governance, capacity building, policy dialogue, and sustainable development finance. Through initiatives such as the Prudential Standards, Guidelines and Rating System (PSGRS), peer reviews, its Annual General Assembly, and the CEO Forum of African DFIs, AADFI supports stronger, more resilient, and impactful DFIs capable of advancing Africa’s economic transformation and long-term financing needs. For more information, visit www.adfi-ci.org