"Africa is booming — and Africa is shining! It is a new, more confident Africa. A continent
now more aware of its place in the world and determined to be a destination of choice for
global investment," said Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Bank of
Development (AfDB) at the opening of the second Africa Investment Forum organized by the
Development Bank in Johannesburg, South Africa from 11 to 13 November. Adding "We
we are gathered here not as mere investors, but investors in hope.
Hope for Africa – a continent full of incredible opportunities waiting to be discovered by
the bold".
A second edition that kept all its promises with commitments of $ 67.6 billion through
52 agreements. This is 44% more than at the first edition of the Forum in 2018 ($46.9 billion). In its
Opening remarks, Akinwumi A. Adesina stressed that the commitments made were not< > promises in the air citing the transformed trials at the 1st forum as the financing of Africa
Infrastructure Investment Fund for accelerating investment in agriculture ($500 million), the
mobilization of $175 million for SMEs through the African Guarantee Fund, the financing of
agro-industrial beef processing project in South Africa ($350 million), etc. Adding '
Promise made, promise kept".
Among the emblematic projects of this second forum, a concession agreement for an aerial metro in Accra au
Ghana, the Accra Sky Train. Also for Ghana, a syndicate loan of $ 600 million has materialized with
a consortium composed of the AfDB, Credit Suisse and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
(ICBC) in favor of the cocoa value chain (Read How will be used the loan of $ 600 million in
favor of cocoa in Ghana?).
Investments more than necessary in agriculture where only $ 7 billion per year are invested
on the continent when the needs would amount to $ 45 billion, says Jennifer Blanke, vice-president
for agriculture at the AfDB.