ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 3, 2025/ — Key representatives of Africa’s private sector welcomed the prospects of a fresh start with the African Development Bank Group (https://AfDB.org/) in Abidjan on Tuesday, at a groundbreaking meeting with its President, Sidi Ould Tah.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express our satisfaction at this renewed relationship with the African Development Bank Group. We hope that this dialogue will rapidly develop into a strategic partnership with African employers’ organizations,” declared Ahmed Cissé, President of the Confédération générale des entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire (CGECI).
The meeting with African business leaders took place a day after the opening of the 13th CGECI Academy event, which was attended by private-sector representatives from West, Central, and North Africa, including Morocco.
“For the private sector, the meeting itself represents a paradigm shift with the African Development Bank Group,” commented Célestin Tawamba, President of the Groupement des Entreprises du Cameroun (GECAM).
In his strategic “vision” as President of the Bank Group—the manifesto on which he was elected—Mr. Ould Tah called on the institution to mobilize a wider range of investments, from private-sector partners to multilateral institutions and regional development banks, with the aim of significantly reducing Africa’s current funding gap of over $400 billion a year.
“Through innovative financial instruments and enhanced risk mitigation strategies, I am convinced that the African Development Bank Group’s goal should be to multiply every dollar of capital, converting each dollar raised into a productive and transformative investment of $10 or more,” he notably wrote in his manifesto.
Dr. Ould Tah, who took office on 1 September as the head of Africa’s leading development finance institution, told private-sector leaders that the African Development Bank Group intends to provide leadership in defining the new African financial architecture. “In the years to come, the role of the private sector will be important in the work of the African Development Bank Group,” he explained, because “Africa will either develop with the private sector, or it will not develop at all.”
During the meeting, the new Bank Group president took time to listen to the concerns and expectations of African captains of industry, as well as their ideas for developing partnerships with the African Development Bank Group.
Support for African champions, access to financing, capacity-building for the African private sector, and guarantee mechanisms to boost national and regional banks were among the topics discussed with the African Development Bank Group.
The business leaders agreed to maintain dialogue and open channels of communication with the Bank Group’s country offices to ensure ongoing collaboration and a unified approach toward Africa’s sustainable economic development.
Dr. Ould Tah is scheduled to meet with key stakeholders of the African private sector at the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) organized by the African Development Bank Group and several other partners in Rabat, Morocco, from 26 to 28 November 2025.
The renewed engagement between Africa’s private sector and the African Development Bank Group signals a strategic shift in how development finance institutions and private enterprises collaborate. By strengthening partnerships, the Bank Group aims to foster investment, innovation, and industrial growth across the continent.
The meeting also underscored the commitment of the African Development Bank Group to amplify the voice of African employers and enhance policy dialogue. Participants emphasized the importance of leveraging the Bank Group’s expertise to expand regional cooperation and implement financing models that respond effectively to Africa’s development priorities.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media contact:
Romaric Ollo Hien
Communication and External Relations Department
[email protected]
SOURCE
African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
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