The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency signed the agreement in Tokyo on November 13.
The loan will support the 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF), which provides grants and low-interest financing to eligible African countries.
AfDB President Dr Sidi Ould Tah and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Dr Akihiko Tanaka signed the agreement.
The financing represents the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s largest official development assistance loan to the Fund. “This financing demonstrates the strength of the partnership between JICA and the AfDB and our shared commitment to Africa’s development,” Tanaka said.
Tanaka said the loan demonstrated confidence in the Fund’s ability to address interconnected development challenges while supporting resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth.
The 86.6 billion Yen loan fulfils a commitment made by Japan’s Ministry of Finance during the replenishment pledging session in December 2025.
Japan has provided another approximately $600 million through grants and compensation under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative.
The financing will support investments in essential infrastructure, electricity access, food security and regional integration while expanding economic opportunities. “ADF-17 mobilised a record $11 billion from 44 partners,” Ould Tah said.
“But our ambition goes beyond replenishing resources. Through the New African Financial Architecture for Development, we are transforming how Africa mobilises and deploys development finance.”
Japan Deputy Vice-Minister for International Affairs Kazuki Watanabe said the country expected the replenishment to expand quality infrastructure, strengthen governance and institutional capacity and support sustainable debt management.
The agreement follows the signing and exchange of diplomatic notes at the Bank Group’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on November 5.
Japan joined the ADF in 1973 and became a member of the AfDB in 1982.
The partnership covers concessional financing, private-sector investment, human-capital development, technical assistance and knowledge exchange.
The Bank said the latest replenishment marked a transition towards a more investment-driven financing model using concessional donor loans and a new market-borrowing framework.
The approach would allow the Fund to leverage contributions and mobilise additional capital for long-term development financing, the AfDB concluded.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
Image: AfDB
