France

Partnership overview

The main thrust of African Development Bank (AfDB) and France partnership has been on co-financing and multi-donor fund initiatives. This is supplemented by a Bilateral Trust Fund, including Technical Assistance and intellectual cooperation such as the Africa 2050 study. France supported the 2010 General Capital Increase VI and ADF XII replenishment of the African Development Bank Group.

Since 2005, the main focus of cooperation has been in the Water and Sanitation, Infrastructure, Private Sector and Governance sectors.

Climate Change and Agriculture were added in 2009.

Africa is the major recipient of French aid budget focused on development in sub- Saharan Africa, with particular emphasis on private sector development. The countries of concentration for France in Africa include francophone LIC’s (Zone franc CFA, Comoros), MIC’s (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt), fragile states and larger emerging states (South Africa).

France is currently providing funding and support for various multi-donor thematic funds.

France signed a Bilateral Trust Fund with AfDB in 2005. In 2010, 12 activities are currently ongoing.

In June 2010, a high level meeting of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) was held at the AfDB in Tunis to review progress on the implementation of the partnership and to discuss new strategic directions. Areas of focus include Agriculture and SME/Microfinance financing.

AfDB and Proparco are partners under the African Financing Partnership (AFP) for private sector project financing in Africa.

Joint Initiatives

• Current activities within the Multi-donor thematic funds include the African Water Facility; Rural Water Sanitation and Supply (RWSSI) Initiative and the Migration and Development Trust Fund Initiative.
• The Bilateral Trust Fund include grants to the water and sanitation sector in Madagascar, procurement capacity building in Gabon, private sector development in Angola and Cap Verde, migration issues in Africa, high tech center in Mali, Regional Multi-Disciplinary Centre of Excellence in Mauritius and development of agricultural markets in West Africa.
• In 2010, AFD has committed funding for the Secretariat of the "Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A).
• Cofinancement: Some key projects include Douala-Bangui-Ndjamena corridor; Dakar-Diamniadio motorway; Awoshi Pokuase Road and community development project in Ghana; water projects in Cameroun, Chad and Tunisia; financial governance in Guinée Bissau and Mauritius; support to Education in Burkina Faso, Morocco and Djibouti; as well as support to Agriculture and Private Sector development across several countries in Africa.
• Three French Technical Assistants are currently working in the areas of financial governance, Infrastructure Consortium of Africa and the African Water Facility.

Contact

Belinda Chesire
Senior Cooperation Officer
Partnerships and Cooperation Unit (ORRU)
Tel.: (216) 71 10 3611