Members News

“For a development bank, sustainability cannot be separated from its fundamental purpose. The businesses it finances, the sectors it supports and the investments it enables influence the direction of an economy for decades. The decision of the National Development Bank of Botswana to embark upon Sustainability Certification under the Sustainability Standards and Certification Initiative (SSCI)

“The significance of what Uganda Development Bank has undertaken goes far beyond the adoption of a new platform or approach. It represents a fundamental shift in the role a development finance institution must play in shaping a more competitive, high-value economy on the principles of sustainability. Development banks cannot limit their role to financing the

Regional integration is often discussed in terms of agreements, policies and institutions. But ultimately, integration becomes meaningful when economies are physically and economically connected—when goods can move, businesses can reach larger markets and investment can create opportunities across national borders. The financing of the Kano–Maradi Standard Gauge Railway by the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and

“The recognition of the Agricultural Finance Corporation of Kenya for Outstanding Business Sustainability Achievement carries a particularly important message: Sustainability Certification should never be seen as the destination. Its real value lies in what an institution does with it. When AFC became the first institution in Kenya to achieve Sustainability Certification, it made a commitment

“The significance of what the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has undertaken goes far beyond Sustainability Certification. It represents a fundamental rethinking of what central banking must mean in an economy seeking lasting stability, investment and prosperity. Monetary and financial stability cannot be sustained in isolation from the economy that ultimately supports it. When businesses struggle

There are some journeys that begin long before the flight departs. At first glance, the road to Clermont-Ferrand in the Alps of central France looked straightforward enough: travel from Cape Town to Dakar for a conference and meetings, a visit to Gorée Island, onward to Paris for discussions at the headquarters of a major development finance institution, and then to Clermont-Ferrand for a conference where I would present my paper titled Market Shaping for a Just Energy Transition, and moderate a panel on subnational and regional development finance. On paper, it was simply a sequence of flights, hotels, meetings and presentations. In reality, the road itself became part of the argument.