The 2025 Annual Workshop of the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) marked the 50th Anniversary of the Association. The event was held on the theme “AADFI @ 50: Joining Forces for a More Sustainable and Greener Future for African DFIs” on May 26, 2025, at the Sofitel Hotel Ivoire, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The workshop was hosted by AADFI members in Côte d’Ivoire – Banque Nationale d’Investissement (BNI), Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations de Côte d’Ivoire (CDC-CI), and Société de Garantie des Crédits aux PME (SGPME) – and supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The workshop’s main objectives were to: (1) Celebrate AADFIs’ 50th anniversary, reflect on the challenges and achievements of the Association and African DFIs over the past 50 years, draw lessons from the experiences, and discuss the outlook for a greener future; (2) Discuss how African DFIs can scale up investments that support sustainable development in Africa; (3) Explore innovative funding opportunities, the issue of capital allocation, and the cost of capital for African DFIs in funding sustainable projects; (4) Identify new opportunities for collaboration and partnership in promoting the sustainability agenda; and (5) Share information on current initiatives and facilities related to climate change that DFIs could readily embrace.
High level personalities graced the opening ceremony, including Mr. Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, represented by Mr. Vassogbo Bamba, General Administrator of Financial Services; Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), represented by Mr. Solomon Quaynor, Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization. Dr. Patricia Ojangole, 1st Vice-Chairperson of AADFI and Managing Director of Uganda Development Bank (UDB) Ltd, and Mr. Youssouf Fadiga, Chief Executive Officer of the Banque Nationale d’Investissement (BNI), Côte d’Ivoire.
More than 250 delegates attended the event, comprising chief executive officers and senior executives of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), representatives from DFIs supervisory agencies, partners, key stakeholders, experts, academia, central banks, and representatives from private sector organizations.
Thirty-six (36) countries worldwide were represented at the event, namely Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.