The 2026 Annual Workshop of the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) was held on the theme “Augmenting Sovereign Finance in Africa: DFIs Unlocking Growth and Resilience through the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD)” on May 25, 2026, at the Kintélé International Conference Center, in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The workshop was hosted by AADFI members in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo – Fonds d’Impulsion, de Garantie et d’Accompagnement (FIGA) and Banque de Développement des États de l’Afrique Centrale (BDEAC) – and supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The workshops’main objective was to promote strategic dialogue and collective commitment to creating a financial architecture that recognizes and is tailored to the African context, facilitating the flow of resources to Africa while acknowledging the importance of sovereign finance within the framework of the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD).
The opening ceremony was graced by Mr. Christian Yoka, Minister of Finance, Budget, and Public Portfolio of the Republic of Congo. Other dignitaries at the opening ceremony included Dr. Patricia Ojangole, Chairperson of AADFI and Managing Director of Uganda Development Bank (UDB) Ltd.; Mr. Dieudonné Evou Mekou, President of the Banque de Développement des États de l’Afrique Centrale (BDEAC); Mr. Ahmed Attout, Director of the Private Financial Sector Development Department (PIFD) of the African Development Bank (AfDB); and Mr. Dayi Allaire Branham Kintombo, Chief Executive Officer of the Fonds d’Impulsion, de Garantie et d’Accompagnement (FIGA). More than 214 delegates attended the event, including Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and senior executives of African development banks and financial institutions, policymakers, and strategic partners. Thirty-three (33) countries worldwide were represented at the event, namely Angola, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and United States.