AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah has urged West African countries to deepen regional integration and mobilise innovative financing to accelerate development across the region.
The remarks were delivered on Ould Tah’s behalf at the 69th Economic Community of West African States Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, by AfDB Acting Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Abdul Kamara.
Ould Tah said greater volumes of capital will be needed to finance infrastructure, industrial development and regional connectivity projects capable of unlocking sustainable growth.
Central to this approach is the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), adopted through the Abidjan Consensus in April 2026 and approved by AfDB’s Board during annual meetings in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
NAFAD seeks to mobilise domestic savings, deepen African capital markets, reduce investment risks and channel African resources into productive investments that support infrastructure, industrialisation and regional integration.
AfDB is currently supporting regional transformation through a multinational portfolio worth about $3.72 billion across West Africa.
Current investments include the Trans-Gambia Corridor, the Senegal-Mauritania Rosso Bridge and the Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea electricity interconnection project. These projects are designed to improve connectivity, facilitate trade and expand economic opportunities.
The impact of such investments was highlighted during Kamara’s visit to the rehabilitated Babadorie Raw Water Storage Facility in Sierra Leone, financed under AfDB’s WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Project.
The $7.79 million investment has increased Freetown’s raw water storage capacity from 60 000 cubic metres to 132 000 cubic metres through rehabilitation of the Babadorie reservoir and construction of additional storage tanks.
The project is expected to improve water availability for about 90 000 people. “Approving funds is just the first step. If you do not have a government that is focused on making a difference in the lives of its people, that project will not come to fruition,” Kamara said.
Kamara commended the Government of Sierra Leone and the Guma Valley Water Company for implementing the project, saying expanded storage would help address recurring dry-season water shortages. “Having massive amounts of water in the rainy season and then, three or four months later, people cannot get drinking water is intolerable. With the model we are developing here, we are going to change that,” Kamara said.
Kamara said AfDB’s Sierra Leone Country Office will work with project authorities to assess remaining gaps in water treatment capacity. “We now have enough storage, but we need to ensure we have the treatment capacity to match it,” Kamara said.
Guma Valley Water Company Managing Director Mariwan Kallon said the project had strengthened water security in Freetown. “This $7.79 million investment has significantly increased Freetown’s ability to capture and store water, but treatment capacity must now be strengthened to maximise the benefits of the project,” Kallon said.
Regent Village Headman Joseph S Bangura welcomed the intervention. “Water is life, and those who provide the funding are supporting lives,” Bangura said.
The project generated 777 jobs during construction, including 117 positions filled by women.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
