Angola// — The Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI) and the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) have jointly announced the establishment of the AAMFI Infrastructure Financing Facility for African Union Development projects, a major initiative to accelerate infrastructure development across Africa.
The announcement was made during the Luanda Infrastructure Financing Summit, held under the theme “Cutting the Cost of Capital: Financing Africa’s Infrastructure”.
A Declaration of Intent to establish the Facility was signed by representatives of AUDA-NEPAD and AAMFI in the presence of African Heads of State, Heads of African Multilateral Financial Institutions, senior government officials, as well as members of the private sector
H.E. João Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, speaking at the Summit, noted that:
“Africa must finance its own future by mobilising our collective resources to build the roads, power grids, and digital networks that will connect our markets, energise our industries, and empower our people”, commending AUDA NEPAD and AAMFI for their work on the initiative.
The Facility’s first phase will focus on five (5) priority projects, to be followed by an additional six (6), spanning energy, transport, water, and ICT sectors. Together, they represent a continent-wide effort to strengthen connectivity and unlock economic potential in Northern, Western, Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa.
All projects are aligned with the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and Agenda 2063, reinforcing the shared vision of an integrated and prosperous Africa. The Facility provides an initial commitment of up to USD 1.5 billion towards the financing of the projects, including up to USD 100 million in project preparation financing, following the completion of necessary institutional and technical processes.
The initiative underscores the continent’s renewed commitment to addressing its infrastructure financing gap through home-grown and coordinated mechanisms.
Conceived as a continental coordination platform, the Facility bridges the gap between project preparation and financing, promotes standardised investment frameworks, and facilitates blended-finance solutions. It also serves as a proof of concept for the eventual establishment of the African Union Development Fund, reinforcing Africa’s capacity to structure and direct its own infrastructure financing.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Samaila Zubairu, Chairperson of AAMFI and President & CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation, said:
“This initiative crystallises Africa’s collective ambition to take charge of its own development financing. Through this Facility, we are shaping a coherent framework for infrastructure delivery and demonstrating our capacity to define, design, and finance the projects that will transform Africa’s economic landscape”.
Mrs Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, emphasised the alignment of the Facility with the African Union’s long-term transformation agenda:
“The Facility embodies African ownership in action — a practical bridge toward the operationalisation of the African Union Development Fund and a testament to our determination to realise Agenda 2063 through innovative, collaborative, and sustainable infrastructure solutions.”
The establishment of the Facility marks a major milestone in strengthening Africa’s financial sovereignty and institutional capacity to mobilise and manage both domestic and international capital for transformative infrastructure. It also reflects AAMFI’s central role in consolidating Africa’s financial architecture and AUDA-NEPAD’s leadership in infrastructure-driven development.
A Cooperation Framework Agreement between AUDA-NEPAD and AAMFI will be formally signed on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in February 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
