African Development Bank Group
African Development Bank Group is a international organization that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
AfDB approves $139m loan for Johannesburg infrastructure
First direct lending to a subnational entity in Africa will support water, electricity, and waste management systems for Africa's largest economic hub.
President Nguema and AfDB’s Adesina launch major water infrastructure project in Gabon
Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema and African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on Monday jointly inaugurated a new drinking water pumping station, marking the end of a decade-long water crisis in PK5, a densely populated district of Libreville. The new PK5 pumping station, with a daily capacity of 57,600 cubic meters, is designed […]
Sidi Ould Tah elected ninth president of the African Development Bank Group
Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected President of the African Development Bank Group at the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Tah was elected by the Bank’s Board of Governors, comprising Finance and Economy Ministers or Central Bank Governors of the Bank Group’s 81 regional and non-regional member countries. The board is […]
AfDB funds new water project to tackle climate challenges in Mauritania
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved financing of over $18 million for Mauritania to launch the "3R-Water" project, which aims to improve access to water and sanitation in rural regions affected by water scarcity and climate change impacts. Co-financed by the Mauritanian government at 12 percent of its total […]
AFDB & Lake Chad Basin Commission sign $10 million agreement to revitalize Lake Chad
The African Development Bank Group and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (CBLT) have signed a $10.2 million grant agreement to implement the Technical Support Project for the Restoration of the Ecological and Economic Functions of the Lake Chad Basin (PARFEBALT). The agreement was signed in N’Djamena on 20 March 2025 by the Bank Group’s interim […]
World Water Day 2025: Preserving Africa’s water resources
Each year, World Water Day highlights the pressing challenges surrounding global water resources and the actions needed to address them. Nowhere is this more critical than in Africa, where nearly 1.4 billion people live, a number expected to rise to 2.5 billion by 2050. On the continent, approximately 411 million people – almost one-third of […]
Chad secures $11m AfDB grant to boost rice production with enhanced water management
The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund – the African Development Bank Group’s concessional financing window – approved a grant of USD 11.53 million to Chad in Abidjan to implement the Project to Support Rural Infrastructure Development and the Promotion of Agricultural Value Chains (PADIR-CVA). “Chad, a landlocked country in the Sahel, faces major challenges, particularly […]
AfDB approves €118 million loan to Benin for rural drinking water supply program
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group approved a loan of EUR 118.63 million to Benin to implement the Drinking Water Supply for Resilience in Rural Areas Programme in Abidjan with the aim of supplying drinking water to an additional 965,000 people in the West African country. The African Development Bank is […]
“Digitalization and AI are key for water sector development while addressing African realities”
In 2021, the African Development Bank approved a groundbreaking Policy on Water, designed to enhance Africa’s water security and leverage the continent’s water assets for sustainable, green, and inclusive socio-economic growth. This policy emphasizes the need for strengthened knowledge on water risks and innovative approaches to address technical, financing, and governance challenges. At the core […]