New technology and blended finance will help to bridge the “last mile” of the infrastructure gap by getting goods and services to end users, and connecting underserved populations to business value chains, said the African Development Bank during a session at the Global Infrastructure Forum 2018 on Saturday.

During the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) held in Nairobi, Kenya, the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for business cooperation with Mizuho Bank, Ltd. (MHBK) on Saturday, August 27, 2016.

The signed LOI covers a broad range of financial services, including Treasury, Trade Finance and Project Finance to support the Bank’s High 5 development priorities, which are: Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

Room2Run, the African Development Bank and partners’ innovative US $1 billion synthetic securitization of a portfolio of seasoned African Development Bank private sector loans, will serve as a model for other lenders, help reduce costs, and shorten execution time, finance experts told participants at a workshop on Saturday.

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) on September 8, 2016 in Abidjan, approved two grants of US $1 million each, to Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau as emergency assistance to support the implementation of National Preparedness and Response Plans to fight the Zika virus outbreak in the two countries.

The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) and the Institute for Public Private Partnership (IP3) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation related to capacity building services offered in African countries. 

Cooperation between the ALSF and IP3 will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information exchange on matters concerning legal skills needed for African countries to enhance their capacity in international transactions with international investors.