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African Development Bank

MDB
Côte d'Ivoire
iSustain score 100Complex· 12–24 months

Africa's premier multilateral development bank, financing infrastructure, energy and climate adaptation across the continent.

Geographic focus

Pan-African

Sector appetite

Energy
Transport
Water
Agriculture
Climate Adaptation

Finance instruments

Debt
Guarantees
Grants
Equity

Project stages

Feasibility
Construction
Operational

Typical ticket size

$5m – $500m

Readiness requirements

Bankable feasibility study, ESIA, government endorsement for sovereign windows

Partnership preferences

Co-financing with DFIs and national governments

Contact

info@afdb.org

iSustain relevance score

  • Regional focus & relevance30/30
  • Access & contactability25/25
  • Financing programmes & instruments — 5 open or rolling15/15
  • Instrument breadth15/15
  • Data freshness15/15

Weighted 0–100: Africa focus 30, access & contactability 25, live windows 15, instrument breadth 15, data freshness 15.

Access difficulty

Complex· 12–24 months

Sovereign or government counterparty required; published application route; minimum ticket $5m+; standard readiness evidence expected.

  • Counterparty requirement — Sovereign or government counterparty5/5
  • Application process — Published application route0/3
  • Ticket floor — Minimum ticket $5m+2/3
  • Readiness burden — 3 readiness requirements identified1/2
  • Internal approval process — Board / institutional approval cycles2/2

A rating of how hard this capital is to reach — not a prediction of whether an application will succeed. Built from the counterparty required, the published application route, the minimum ticket, the readiness evidence expected and the internal approval process.

Instruments & programmes

What a client can actually approach this organisation for, and how access works.

Africa Disaster Risk Financing Programme (ADRiFi)

Programme
Insurance
Open

Supports African countries to assess climate risk and pay sovereign parametric insurance premiums, largely through African Risk Capacity.

Access route

Sovereign / government only

Ticket size

— — Premium support grants

Geographic focus

Pan-African

Sector focus

Climate Adaptation
Agriculture
Climate Resilience

Project stages

Operational

Eligibility

African Union member states.

How to access

Ministries of Finance apply through AfDB country offices.

Africa Green Bond Programme

Green Bond
Green Bonds
Open

AfDB's green bond issuance programme funding eligible climate mitigation and adaptation projects across the Bank's sovereign and non-sovereign portfolio.

Access route

Market / exchange transaction

Ticket size

— — Bond proceeds allocated to AfDB-approved projects

Geographic focus

Pan-African

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Climate Mitigation
Resilient Infrastructure

Project stages

Construction
Operational

Eligibility

Projects already eligible for AfDB financing; investors buy the bonds.

How to access

Project sponsors access proceeds through the standard AfDB project cycle; investors via the capital markets desk.

Desert to Power Initiative

Programme
Concessional Debt
Open

Programme to develop 10GW of solar across the Sahel (11 countries) combining sovereign lending, concessional finance and private IPP support.

Access route

Sovereign / government only

Ticket size

$5m+ — Blend of grants, concessional and senior debt

Geographic focus

West Africa
North Africa

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Energy Access

Project stages

Concept
Feasibility
Development

Eligibility

Sahel governments, utilities and qualified IPP developers.

How to access

Engage the AfDB country office or the Desert to Power coordination unit.

Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI)

Facility
Debt
Open

Debt facility for small-scale renewable energy: on-grid IPPs up to 25MW, mini-grids and off-grid energy access businesses.

Access route

Via financial intermediary

Ticket size

$1m – $30m — $1m–$30m senior and mezzanine debt

Geographic focus

Pan-African

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Energy Access
Mini-grids
Off-grid Energy

Project stages

Development
Construction

Eligibility

Small-scale IPPs, mini-grid and off-grid companies operating in Africa.

How to access

Approach the FEI fund managers (Lions Head / Cygnum for the OGEF window) with a project or corporate debt request.

Room to Run Guarantee / Private Sector Credit Enhancement Facility

Guarantee Programme
Guarantees
Open

Balance-sheet and portfolio guarantees that free AfDB lending headroom for low-income and transition states, including climate-eligible projects.

Access route

By invitation / relationship

Ticket size

— — Portfolio-level risk transfer

Geographic focus

Pan-African

Sector focus

Infrastructure
Renewable Energy
Financial Institutions

Project stages

Construction
Operational

Eligibility

Sovereign and non-sovereign AfDB borrowers in ADF-eligible countries.

How to access

Structured with AfDB Treasury and Syndication; not an open application window.

How to access African Development Bank

Does the African Development Bank lend to private companies?

Yes. Its private sector window offers senior and subordinated loans, equity, guarantees and trade finance, usually for larger, bankable transactions.

How do governments access AfDB finance?

Public projects are agreed through the country programme with the Ministry of Finance, often on concessional terms through the African Development Fund.

Which AfDB funds support climate and energy?

Specialist windows include SEFA (Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa), the Africa Climate Change Fund and the Climate Action Window.

Read the African Development Bank funding guideCheck my project fit with iSustain Advisor Live

Related capital sources

Other funders with an overlapping mandate.

Browse by theme in the finance guides.

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